


The Last Building on Bay Street

by Virus138



Category: Original Work
Genre: Age Difference, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Blow Jobs, Comedy, Dominance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Time, Florists, Fluff, Friendship, Gangs, Grinding, Hand Jobs, Hate to Love, Hurt/Comfort, Illegal Activities, Kidnapping, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, M/M, Mates, Mating Bites, Mildly Dubious Consent, Omega Verse, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Police, Police officers, Possessive Sex, Rutting, Size Difference, Slow Burn, Smut, Soldiers, Soulmates, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Tattoos, Teacher-Student Relationship, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves, weed van
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-19 01:06:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 141,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13693692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Virus138/pseuds/Virus138
Summary: The last building on Bay Street is the only thing keeping the area from becoming a perfect neighbourhood - rough and dangerous, just as its inhabitants who had thought that their biggest problem would be keeping the council from taking away their home.Instead, they are faced with werewolves, freshly intergrated into society, who are claiming human mates.Jamie finds it difficult to run the illegal businesses of the apartment with an infuriating, if handsome, werewolf police officer shadowing him; Raphael is claimed as the mate of a grumpy, hard gangster who is surprisingly clingy, against his will; Buster's biggest concern is finding money, no matter what - yet he finds a certain pale haired, arrogant wolf he just happened to rob unforgettable; Art wants to get through life quietly, even as an illegal stripper - so when he finds out his new teacher and the owner of his building is his mate, his life is pretty much over; Val is pretty happy making a living as an underground fighter which is why Ellie, rich werewolf CEO, irritates the hell out of her; and Gus is now forever tied to a soldier due to be dispatched soon.Oh, and there's a weed van parked in their back yard.Updates: Wed & Sat





	1. The Last Building on Bay Street

**Author's Note:**

> Right, so I just posted this on a whim. 
> 
> Basically I wanted to play on the dynamic of a hard-raised, bad mannered, tight knit group who has been hurt by life too many times vs a group of werewolves who just want their attention but find they are harder to deal with than expected. 
> 
> Also, the idea of a building like this one has been bumping around my head for quite a while. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope y'all like this - let me know what you think! The other mates will come soon, this is just a bit of an intro...

The smell of coffee and pastries filled the coffee shop; at this point in his young life, Jamie wanted to throw up at the smell. He’d been the barista at the coffee shop in the last building on Bay Street ever since he arrived a few years back. The coffee shop had a name – something shit and mediocre, like ‘Bay Coffee’ – but to all the regulars, it was known simply as the coffee shop. Not only did the smell make Jamie want to gag, but the rush was slow today. The estate agents had finally turned their hawk eyes on Bay Street and were starting renovations from the opposite end of the shit hole. The last building on Bay Street wasn’t safe for long, considering all the new tenants pouring into the houses down the road that wrinkled their noses at the tattered building at the very end of the street before the shabby forest started. That also meant that other than a few rough-bred regulars, no one else dared brave the coffee shop. Which meant Jamie was bored.

‘’Aren’t you supposed to look inviting, or something?’’ came a cheerful, coffee-rich voice.

‘’Bite me,’’ Jamie grumbled, pushing back his wavy blond hair out of his eyes as he peered up at one of his closest friends. As with the rest of his group, Jamie became friends with Raphael Arevalo by accident. He’d moved into the piece-of-shit building on Bay Street because it was low-key and mostly forgotten. He hadn’t expected to pretty much wind up with a pack of new friends who, like him, had picked the building on Bay Street for its animosity.

‘’Is the air con not working again?’’ Raphael asked, scratching absently at his arm, tattooed in intricate patterns from wrist all the way over his breast plate.

‘’Was it ever working in the first place?’’ Jamie set about making Raphael’s usual hot chocolate. He was pretty imposing – tall and muscular, golden brown skin covered with tattoos, strong facial features making him look like he’d just stepped out of an action movie – but inside he was a ‘gooey marshmallow’ as Gus described him, ‘’when are you opening?’’

‘’First customer is in half an hour,’’ Raphael stretched over the counter like an oversized, tattooed cat and gave a yawn. He worked a level up, in ‘A Touch of Ink’, the only remaining tattoo parlour in the area thanks to those demon-agents that were trying to make the neighbourhood ‘nicer’ – and, thus, more expensive. Jamie had long since decided that if they decided to convert the coffee shop into a Starbucks, he’d quit, ‘’fuck, I hate August.’’

‘’Maybe you should think about drinking something other than _hot_ chocolate?’’ Jamie said with a pointed raise of pale eyebrows as he set the cup in front of Raphael. Just then the beaded curtain hiding the shabby stairs leading up the tall, slightly wonky building, parted and Art walked in, yawning, naked from the waist up. Nobody in the coffee shop reacted, completely used to it by now.  

‘’Caffeine,’’ he mumbled, half-bumping against Raphael, ‘’now.’’

‘’Tough night?’’ Raphael guessed.

‘’I danced so much I can’t feel my hips,’’ Art complained as Jamie set about making his coffee. He slapped a few coins onto the counter.

Jamie rolled his blue eyes, ‘’you know you don’t have to pay,’’ another pro about working and living in such a run-down apartment was that the management was pretty shit. Which meant they didn’t care if Jamie gave away a few free coffees each morning.

‘’Tips,’’ Art said with a smile and then winced as he fingered his hips, ‘’can you believe the bastards paid me in coins?’’

‘’Yes,’’ Raphael said gravely, swiping his hot chocolate off the counter, ‘’laters,’’ he disappeared behind the beaded curtain.  

Just then the doors to the coffee shop opened with a muted ding of the rusty bell above the doors – it reflected the general state of the coffee shop perfectly, but at least Jamie knew how to make drinks. Buster came in with a big grin – and blood gushing from his nose. Art gasped, ‘’Buster!’’

Jamie groaned, ‘’you’re dripping all over the floor!’’

‘’Sorry,’’ Buster put a hand under his bleeding nose and hobbled over to the counter, ‘’got a tissue?’’

Jamie handed him a handful mutely, looking at him disapprovingly as if Buster was the sixteen year old. Buster grinned at him gratefully and pressed the wad of tissue to his nose, wincing, ‘’I thought you were waiting tables yesterday!’’ Art said, appalled.

‘’I was,’’ Buster said apologetically, brushing shaggy brown hair out of his eyes with his free hand, ‘’I was meant to go straight home, I swear. But then some guy asked if I wanted a job so I went and they made me guard entrance to some dodgy club. It didn’t go well,’’ he gestured to his nose, ‘’clearly.’’

‘’Buster,’’ Art deadpanned, grey eyes staring at him blankly, ‘’you’re a skinny piece of shit.’’

‘’Yeah, I know,’’ Buster shrugged cheerfully, ‘’but a job’s a job, so...’’

‘’Wait,’’ Jamie frowned, ‘’you’ve been bleeding this whole time?’’

‘’Well, no,’’ Buster dabbed at his nose, ‘’I bled a bit and then I stopped. I started bleeding again when I walked face-first into the tree down the road.’’

Jamie and Art groaned together, ‘’that’s what you get for not sleeping for twenty four hours straight,’’ Jamie concluded.

The bell chimed again and this time Val walked in – not bleeding, but bruised all over her dark skin. She sauntered up to the bar moodily. Her short, black hair was matted with alcohol or blood, Art couldn’t tell as he looked between her and Buster, ‘’what the hell, is this a roommate thing?’’

Val scrunched up her nose, ‘’what happened to you, Mickey?’’ she asked.

‘’I got punched in the face and then walked into a tree,’’ Buster pulled back the wad of tissues and touched his nose gingerly, ‘’did you win your fights?’’

‘’All but one,’’ Val shook her head, irritated, ‘’I swear to god, the chick they put up against me was a man. More importantly,’’ she dug into the pocket of her tattered, faded shorts and slapped a newspaper cut out onto the counter, ‘’you know how they’re opened the werewolf reservoir last month?’’

‘’Yeah.’’

‘’Well, apparently wolves all over the place have been claiming mates. As in, human mates,’’ Val tapped the newspaper cut out, showing a blurry photo of police officers pointing guns at a man baring his teeth while standing in front of a terrified looking woman, ‘’human mates.’’ 

‘’How does that even work?’’ Jamie frowned.

‘’Dunno,’’ Val shrugged, ‘’but here’s the interesting bit-‘’

‘’Wolves mating with humans isn’t the interesting bit?’’ Buster’s voice was a bit muffled, thanks to his nose injury.  

Val tapped the newspaper article, ‘’the wolves aren’t just sticking to opposite sex,’’ she said, triumphal.

‘’What like... guys get with guys and girls with girls?’’ Art said carefully.

‘’Nah, dipshit, like guys get with train stations. Yeah, guys with guys,’’ Val shook her head, ‘’apparently it’s as common as straight couples.’’

Jamie sighed, ‘’I don’t get wolves. They should have just kept them in their district.’’

‘’That’s inhumane!’’ Buster protested.

‘’And there’s one more thing,’’ Val said, ‘’apparently there’s a new werewolf gang around here. They’ve been biting people left, right and centre’’

‘’Whatever,’’ Jamie made a shooing motion with his hand, ‘’as long as they don’t bother us, they can do whatever the hell they want. Now fuck off, the lot of you. The Crypt isn’t going to work itself.’’

‘’Such language,’’ Buster chuckled as he, Val and Art shuffled upstairs. Buster and Val shared one of the three tiny rooms on the third floor; on longer working nights, Art just crashed on whoever’s floor rather than walking all the way back to the small, run down, spider infested basement he rented out under a car garage a few streets back.

Once alone at the bar once more, Jamie glanced around at the few comatose, mostly jobless bums that scraped enough coins to buy coffee from him. Were any of them wolves? No, he recognised them as regulars even from a month before when the wolf district, separate from humans, had been opened. Jamie chewed his lip. There was no way any of these wolves would make it to the ragged building that stood so apart from the rest of Bay Street, right?

‘’Jamie?’’

Jamie flinched as Gus snuck up on him. He glanced at the boy in a faded t-shirt and met his dark brown eyes, offering him a genuine smile that he only ever gave to Gus, and no one else. Jamie looked pretty innocent – blond hair, big, blue eyes, slight build...but he could fight like a tiger when cornered. Gus, on the other hand, was every bit as soft and defenceless as he looked. He’d moved into the third room on the third floor, just slightly bigger than a closet, a few months after Jamie arrived and they had clicked immediately, ‘’want tea, Gus?’’

Gus shook his head, soft, light brown hair flying, ‘’is it true what Val said? About the gangs and the wolves and the whole mating thing?’’

Jamie swiped the abandoned newspaper cut-out from the counter in a flash, ‘’I dunno, Gus. But trust me, you have nothing to be afraid of,’’ Jamie pointed to his own chest, ‘’after all, you have five badass humans to protect you.’’

*~*~*

Jamie thundered up the stone steps leading to the back doors of the basement of the last building on Bay Street. The thundering wasn’t from the sound of his feet but from the music pulsing like thunder underground. The Crypt was, as always, packed. Jamie guessed it was the crazy, slightly insane idea of an illegal underground club that packed the basement to the brim without fail every night. Getting out into fresh air, even if it was as hot as the inside of the club, was a relief and Jamie took a few gulps before walking over to the trailer parked behind the building. He knocked a few times on the metal, the various trinkets, strings of beads and poundland wind chimes rustling with the movement. There was the sound of shuffling from within and a moment later the doors to the trailer opened, revealing a short, old woman in a bright purple tracksuit and obnoxiously red shoes. There were sunglasses on her eyes, even though the sun had set hours ago.

‘’James, is that you?’’ the woman reached out a wrinkled, dark hand. In addition to being old and crazy, she was also half blind.

‘’Hi, DeeDee,’’ Jamie said, ‘’you could see me better if you took your sunglasses off,’’ he offered.

‘’Oh,’’ DeeDee scooped them off her eyes, as if she had forgotten about them.

‘’I came for the goods,’’ Jamie said, ‘’the Crypt is packed today.’’

DeeDee nodded her head and shuffled back into her trailer. For such a normal-sized vehicle, it was pretty spacious. One side had her bed with the patchwork quilt atop it, and her little TV from the 2000s. The other was packed with weed plants under intense lights that DeeDee cultivated with care, as if they were her children. DeeDee’s trailer was, essentially, a weed van, and was just one of the couple illegal businesses that bloomed in the last building on Bay Street. DeeDee re-appeared at the doors and tossed Jamie a few packets of dried goods, ‘’thanks,’’ Jamie said quickly, ‘’night,’’ then he hurried back inside the Crypt.

He was hit face-first with flashing strobe lights, the roars of the crowd and the music booming from the speakers. The Crypt was run by Jamie and his friends – the landlady didn’t really know about it, the police definitely didn’t, either. Jamie was amazed how for years they managed to keep the rave low key enough to only get a few police raids here and there. Since they funded everything from the drinks to the playlist to the cheap lights fashioned by the ceiling, they didn’t really have money for a DJ. Gus was usually on the music, curled comfortably under the bar with the mp3 the six of them shared in his hands, knowing exactly what song the crowd needed to hear next. Raphael was on the doors, taking the entrance fee and Jamie operated the bar. By day he was a barista; by night, a bartender. Sometimes he switched out with Buster, but the boy was now just sitting at the bar and sipping a vodka coke. Despite Jamie telling him not to, he’d gone out to bus tables for the cafe down the road after a girl called sick last minute. Buster had a nose for jobs – if there was one, he’d get it, no matter how temporary.  

And then there was Art.

Art did the dancing.

Aside from the reputation the Crypt had, Art’s dancing looped a large number of revellers in. Even Jamie, who had seen Art dance countless times, stopped on his way from the back yard and watched, mesmerised, as Art sinfully moved his hips, half naked on the stage set up permanently for him. Most were dancing and raving while staring at him – a few party-goers, male and female alike, just stood there, drooling. Jamie smiled, shook his head and ventured back behind the bar, ‘’sorry for the wait,’’ he slapped the weed down on the counter in front of the waiting customer, who slipped a few bills into his hand. Jamie bent down to tuck it into the box next to Gus, which he guarded while playing with the music.

For the next hour, Jamie made so many drinks his arms hurt from mixing.

At one point Valentina cropped up on one of the mismatched stools at the bar. Again, her black hair was matted, this time definitely with blood, and she had a black eye. They all had dodgy jobs; Jamie was a bartender of an illegal club, and a minor at that; Raphael was the bouncer of said club; Art was an uncertified gogo dancer and Gus the low-paid DJ; Buster had a different job every day, and half of them were for illegal contractors; but, out of all of them, Val had the worst one. Valentina was the terror of underground fight clubs. She knocked out most of her opponents and got enough cash for it to keep the small room on the third floor, split with Buster – but she always came out looking like she’d been in a mob fight.

‘’Shit, is that blood?’’ Jamie called over the music as he mixed a drink for an impatient customer, ‘’is that blood?’’

‘’Some cunt bottled me over the head,’’ Val called back, ‘’but she got disqualified and I got the money, so whatever.’’ Knowing her, she had probably been found by paramedics – and after confirming that she wasn’t concussed, she’d probably ran off. Now she sank her dark fingers into her short hair and mussed it up, hiding the blood as best as she could, ‘’I’m going to tap Art out for a bit!’’ she called and slid off the stool, sauntering over to Art who, despite not showing it, would be getting tired soon.

And that’s how the night went – by the time the August sun began rising, Jamie’s arms felt like noodles and Art was massaging his hips again, digging out any tips the customers had slid within the waistband of his shorts. Raphael came in, dragging the last of the party goers out. Jamie yawned. It was five am – he could maybe squeeze in two hours of sleep before his morning shift at the coffee shop. Raphael came over to the bar and dropped the little bag he used to collect the entrance fees onto the counter, ‘’I’ll get you guys your shares in the evening,’’ Jamie said with a yawn as he popped the bag into the box that Gus had been guarding. Gus was now sitting on the counter, sipping orange juice. Art cracked his neck; working to pay rent was easier in the summer, when they didn’t have to worry about school. Still, it was the best they could do – because most of them still had people, family, they had to provide for.

‘’Let’s call it a night,’’ Raphael stretched, exposing his tattooed muscles. Gus raised his glass of orange juice in agreement.

Just then they heard the doors open and the thundering of a dozen feet, ‘’yo, we’re closed!’’ Raphael called, right before they burst into the basement.

Wolves.

Armed to the teeth with knives and brass knuckles, eyes flashing gold in warning – the weapons were for show. They could rip out human throats with their teeth, ‘’so this is the infamous illegal club,’’ the leader drawled lazily, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a dagger loosely in his hand. He wasn’t particularly tall or butch, but his thin, pale arms were wired with muscle and there was a scar against his jaw, just below his pierced ear. He had a mass of dark brown, thin dreadlocks, half twisted into a bun at the back of his head, the sides of his head shaved. He was, in every sense, your typical gangster boy. The leader’s eyes, usually blue, flashed gold as they concentrated on Jamie and his hands, resting on the box full of money. He raised his knife slowly to point it at him as the dozen guys and girls behind him sniggered, ‘’why don’t you give us that, blondie? And your booze.’’  

‘’Why don’t you shove that knife up your ass?’’ Jamie hissed back. With the distance between them, he was confident he could duck before the knife reached him. Already, Val had grabbed a bottle, ready to smash it into a lethal weapon against the counter. Jamie saw Raphael tensing up in the corner of his vision and he took a half-step in front of Gus, shielding him from view.

The leader smirked at Jamie’s comment but the tightness of his jaw told Jamie that he had just signed his death warrant, ‘’I’ll cut that tongue out,’’ he said, deadly quiet, and took a step towards the bar.

In a flash, Raphael was standing in front of the leader, the knife pointed at his chest as he raised his hands, placating, ‘’look, we’re not trying to-‘’

The knife clattered to the floor with a clang as the leader’s eyes flashed gold and stayed like that. The features of his face softened as he reached out, resting his hand flat against Raphael’s chest, ‘’it’s you,’’ he said quietly and his wolves stood down, ‘’you’re my mate.’’


	2. New Management on Bay Street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone who has supported chapter 1! Getting encouragement in the first few chapters of a new fic is so important imo, so thank you so much!
> 
> Shoutout to Paprika, dragonstone2017 & hikaru_itsuko - thanks so much for reviewing! 
> 
> Xiennary123 - my girl, hi! Welcome! So good to see you here! OMG I literally love werewolf stories so much I was so eager to write one so when this plot FINALLY came to me I was like...fuck that Sanctuary is only 2 chapters in. LET'S START A NEW WORK! Unfortunately there won't be mpreg in this, mostly because I wanna distinguish between this story and Hyndestane Kings Never Die. Plus in the 21st century there just wouldn't be so much pressure on getting pregnant anyway, so none of my characters would have, I assume. But we do get actual werewolves rather than just rankings so yay! Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing! Love ya <3

That morning, the coffee shop did not open as usual.

Jamie sat at one of the worn, scratched wooden tables in the corner, ass planted firmly in the faded couches, the stuffing coming out in a few spots. His small, pale hands were wrapped around a tall glass of juice, since just the taste of anything that held caffeine made him gag. His baseball bat, which he had studded with nails he had nicked from a building site when he was thirteen, rested against his leg under the table, giving him comfort. As he concentrated on the orange liquid in his glass, he kept replaying an image of him hitting one of those werewolf gang kids over the head with his bat. He’d named it Berta. He wished he’d used Berta, before they had taken Raphael. The rest of his group looked just as miserable. Gus was on one of the mismatched chairs, knees pulled up to his chest, arms around them, staring at the steam rising from his tea with glassy, dark eyes. Val was pacing up and down the coffee shop, Buster sat on the counter, hands laced in-between his legs, head lowered. Art was sitting next to Jamie, rapping his fingers on the table in a way that picked at everybody’s already frayed nerves, but nobody dared to tell him to stop. Next to Raphael, Jamie was the next most reliable person in the group – if you were in shit, he’d pull you out of it. Now he was racking his brain, trying to think of a way to get Raphael out of the king-sized pile of crap he’d just stepped into.

Val stopped suddenly, her worn boots, which she wore even in the worst of the heat for lack of a second pair, squeaking on the floorboards as she turned to face Jamie and Art, ‘’well,’’ she spread her hands, ‘’what are we doing?’’ there were dark circles under her eyes. They all looked like crap – usually they’d be asleep right now, except for Jamie. All heads turned to Art at Val’s question. Val usually talked with her fists – she wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the box. She could think on her feet and make split second decisions but getting people out of shit wasn’t her forte – she was usually the one who needed helping out. Jamie could be smart, when he wanted to be, but just the thought of that dread-locked wolf guy having Raphael made Jamie want to follow Val’s example and just whack him in the face with Berta. Art was the bright guy, the one who always had the genius ideas, like starting to dance at the Crypt or supplying the club with DeeDee’s weed.

But he was all fresh out of genius ideas.

‘’We need to go to the cops,’’ he said quietly.

The group flinched as if they had been collectively slapped, ‘’oh. Hell. No,’’ Val practically snarled, ‘’you get their attention on this place, we’re done for. Jamie’s getting evicted, DeeDee’s getting arrested...actually, all of us are getting arrested,’’ she shook her head, ‘’no. No way.’’

‘’We’re talking about a _gang_ here,’’ Art said, voice uncharacteristically hard, ‘’not a scrap in the bar when you get away with a few broken bones. Not an illegal fight that you can win or lose money in. Raphael could _die_. I mean, bloody hell, we don’t know what wolves do with their mates, especially if they’re not compliant. I’d rather be behind bars than know that Raphael...that Raphael has...’’ he swallowed hard and dropped his eyes, clenching his jaw.

‘’Art is right,’’ Buster said, jumping off the counter. He had a plaster on his nose where it had been broken the previous day, ‘’the cops will find Raphael and get him home safe before we can even figure out how five people can take on an entire gang.’’

‘’Shit,’’ Val said, but relented, ‘’fine. How are we doing this?’’

‘’If we say we saw him dragged from an ally from the pub three doors down,’’ Gus said slowly, ‘’then it shouldn’t make much of a difference to the investigation, and maybe they won’t come looking here.’’

‘’Right,’’ Art nodded his head, more confident now that they had a plan, ‘’but if we all go to report this, it’ll be dodgy. Only one of us should go.’’

‘’Who?’’ Val asked in a clipped tone.

All eyes turned to Jamie.

The blond boy moved his glass away from him violently, ‘’oh, you’re shitting me. Why me?’’

‘’You’re the second most innocent looking,’’ Art shrugged.

Jamie pointed an accusing hand at the boy opposite him, ‘’make Gus go! He bloody looks like a terrified high schooler.’’

‘’Hey!’’ Gus protested meekly.

‘’Yeah, but Gus is also shit at lying,’’ Art put his hand on Jamie’s shoulder and squeezed, ‘’come on, Jamie. You’re the next logical choice.’’

Jamie glared at him, then swept his blue eyes around the room, ‘’fine. Fuck.’’

*~*~*

‘’Do you wolves make a habit of this? Kidnapping your mates?’’ Raphael’s voice was hard. He had been blindfolded, sat on a motorcycle and told to hold on tight or fall and die. His blind fold had only been taken off a few minutes prior. He was in some sort of warehouse, judging by the metal walls and echoing corridors, and he was alone with the guy who had called him ‘mate’.

‘’Shut up,’’ the guy grumbled. His voice didn’t go with the fact that he was holding Raphael’s hand and pulling him down a dark corridor, his wrist adorned with a bundle of bracelets – the ones braided from different colours of string, the shitty kind that kids used to make in DT in primary school. Raphael couldn’t figure out why a gang leader would have something so...sentimental. Raphael was pulled from his wonderings when the wolf suddenly stopped and closed his hand over something in the dark corridor. His fingers closed around a handle and he slid open the doors to a warehouse room with an infernal rumble. The wolf all but tossed Raphael inside, which was hilarious, since he was at least half Raphael’s size. The wolf closed the doors behind them.

Suddenly Raphael felt nervous, ‘’um...’’

‘’You don’t have to be freaked out,’’ the guy said. Raphael realised he wasn’t grumbling – his voice was just like that. Low, husky, slightly raspy like he smoked too much or had a cold. It should have gritted on Raphael’s ears, but it didn’t. Under the artificial, bright light of the room Raphael took a proper look at the guy claiming to be his mate. He was pale, almost sickly so, his arms muscular, fingers long and bony. One of his ears held a large black earring. He had a straight nose and a grove between his eyebrows, like he frowned too much. He wasn’t unattractive, but he definitely looked like a gangster. And there was one more problem...

‘’I’m not into guys.’’

‘’Yeah, me neither,’’ the guy huffed a mirthless laugh, ‘’not into anyone, really. But you get who you get and you gotta deal with it.’’

‘’Maybe you do. I’m human,’’ Raphael said, turning as the guy walked across the room, ignoring Raphael now that he had him under lock down. Raphael realised he was in his mate’s living space, though the large room was pretty much bare and echoing. There was a mattress in the corner with only a pillow and no blanket, like the guy got hot at night. There was a pile of clothes in one corner, and Raphael couldn’t tell if it was laundry or just the entity of the guy’s wardrobe. Other than that, there was a single cardboard box next to the bed and a harshly carved wooden cross hanging low on the wall... and that was it. Not even a window.

The guy walked over to the box and dug around, ‘’whatever,’’ he said, uninterested, in his gruff voice and pulled out an opened bag of M&Ms. It wasn’t ripped open, like Raphael would expect it to be – instead it was opened neatly and rolled down, stuck in place with tape. The guy opened it carefully and took a handful.

‘’M&Ms?’’ Raphael asked, eyebrow raised, before he could stop himself. Kiddie bracelets, now this?

‘’You want?’’ the guy extended the packet to him.

‘’Prefer smarties.’’

The guy grunted in acknowledgement and rolled the bag back down, tossing it in his box as he popped an M&M in his mouth, ‘’I’m trynna quit smoking,’’ he said.

Raphael frowned, ‘’what are you, sixteen?’’ though it wasn’t like he could judge. Jamie started smoking when he was fourteen.

The guy gave him an incredulous look, ‘’ _nineteen_.’’

‘’Shit, no way. My age?’’ Raphael’s frown deepened, ‘’you look younger. It’s probably cause of-‘’

‘’My height,’’ the guy rolled his eyes, ‘’yeah, I know.’’

A silent descended on them. Not exactly uncomfortable, but... The guy popped another M&M into his mouth and peered at Raphael from under long, dark lashes. Raphael could have sworn he saw his blue eyes flash gold; he swallowed thickly, ‘’you got a name?’’

The guy blinked, the only acknowledgement that he had forgotten to introduce himself, ‘’Fritz,’’ he said.

Raphael nodded, ‘’I’m Raphael Arevalo. And I’d really appreciate it if you let me go now.’’

‘’Can’t,’’ Fritz shrugged.

Raphael swallowed again, prepared himself for a fight. Fritz was smaller than him, he could probably take him, but the alien warehouse layout could be his downfall, ‘’why?’’ he asked icily. He prepared himself for something from a cheesy gangster movie – ‘because I’m not done with you’, or something like that.

Instead, Fritz shrugged his shoulders again and popped another M&M into his mouth, ‘’cause dinner’s in twenty minutes. You can go after that.’’

*~*~*

The police station loomed in front of Jamie like a mountain. He gulped. Jamie could count things that scared him on one hand. Police was one. He had one too many run-ins with them when he’d first gone AWOL for him to be comfortable around cops. And yet he’d go inside the goddamned station and report Raphael as kidnapped, or he could never call himself Raphael’s friend again. Taking a deep breath, Jamie put on his best ‘scared kid’ face and walked inside. The world didn’t explode and he didn’t immediately get tackled by officers, so that was a good thing. In fact, the whole place looked kind of dead. There was one bored-looking woman behind the glass window of a reception and a few doors leading off somewhere, but the waiting chairs were empty. Another deep breath later, Jamie was walking up to the front desk. _Just act scared, just act scared_... ‘’e-excuse me?’’

The woman glanced up, uninterested, but at the sight of angelic looking Jamie she sat up properly, ‘’how can I help you, pet?’’ she asked in a faint Scottish accent.

‘’I’d like to report a-a kidnapping?’’

The woman’s eyes widened, ‘’oh dear, a _kidnapping_? Are you sure?’’

Jamie nodded his head, wavy blonde hair bouncing around his jaw, ‘’I saw my friend get dragged away by scary looking men, maybe two hours ago. His name is Raphael and it was behind the pub on Bay Street. I think the men were from some kind of gang, the leader had dreadlocks but he was white and-‘’

‘’Hold up, sweetheart,’’ the woman stood up and walked out of her little reception box, ‘’stay here, I’ll get someone who can deal with this better,’’ she disappeared behind one of the doors.

Jamie clenched his fists. He felt like his skin was crawling. He wanted to run back outside, but he made himself stay. _For Raphael, for Raphael, for Raphael_... the doors opened again and Jamie glanced up. The female officer was coming back out, followed by a man. He looked Hispanic, his skin colour similar to Raphael’s. His hair was black and slicked back down his nape, a stray strand hanging in his face. He had a strong nose, full lips and shockingly pale brown eyes. He was just in a pale blue shirt, sleeves rolled up to expose muscular forearms, as if he’d been pulled out of his break. As the man closed in on Jamie, the boy could read his name tag – officer D. Delarosa. The man stopped in front of him and inhaled, opening his mouth to ask a question.

Then he froze and sniffed the air again. Then, without a warning, he leaned down and brushed his nose directly under Jamie’s ear. Jamie yelped and jerked back just as the man breathed, eyes flashing gold, ‘’mate...’’

‘’Oh _fuck_ no.’’

When Jamie realised what was going on, it was too late – he was already running back towards Bay Street.

*~*~*

When Raphael thought of a gangster didn’t he didn’t expect...this.

The dining room was another large open warehouse space and it would have looked ridiculously cold and isolated, except the table in the middle was surrounded by chatting people who didn’t seem to notice the vacuum-like space around them. As Fritz approached, heads turned to peer at Raphael. The human realised with a jolt that most of Fritz’s gang were kids – they reminded him of his own group. There was a girl, whom Raphael had first mistaken for a boy, dark skinned and tattooed, though she looked no older than seventeen. She sat next to the only other girl, a girl of about sixteen with dyed red hair hidden under a white cap, wearing a grimy white hoodie despite the heat (though it wasn’t as bad in the warehouse). The third girl was older, maybe in her twenties, with fried pink hair and fake lashes. Then there were the boys – an almost feminine looking half-Asian with black nails and a tattoo just above his eyebrow; a sleepy looking adult man with frizzy hair and a frizzy beard, a bit like he got hit by lightning; and an actual kid, maybe fourteen years old, his cheeks still a little chubby.

‘’Guys, this is Raphael,’’ Fritz said in his gruff voice, and motioned to the people gathered around the table, ‘’this is Neta, Graham and Rosita,’’ he pointed to the girls in order, then gestured to the kid, ‘’Robbie,’’ to the guy who looked like he had an electric shock, ‘’Dom,’’ then finally to the pretty boy next, ‘’and Sid. This is my pack.’’

The girl in white with the red hair, Graham, snorted, ‘’not much of a pack without an alpha.’’

Fritz, to Raphael’s surprise, didn’t rise to the bait. He had seemed so explosive, so violent, in the Crypt – that had all been an act. Raphael realised his mate was actually pretty level headed. He pulled back one of the two empty chairs and slid into it, motioning for Raphael to sit down next to him, ‘’we just came here,’’ the kid, Robbie, said, ‘’we ran all night from our old place, but we’re all betas and we’re looking for an alpha,’’ he peered at Raphael with dark eyes, ‘’are you an alpha?’’

‘’No. I’m human.’’

‘’Ahh,’’ the wolves around the table nodded, like it explained everything.

‘’You smell like one,’’ pink-haired Rosita said, ‘’green soap and ink.’’

‘’Well, I’m a tattoo artist, so...’’

That got their interest. Fritz sniffed the air, just lightly, ‘’you kind of smell like...’’ he frowned and thought about it, ‘’a new car?’’

Graham chuckled, ‘’I don’t think you’ve ever been inside a new car, Fritz.’’

Fritz shrugged, ‘’and rain,’’ he added, ‘’on tarmac, in the summer.’’

Raphael laughed, a little embarrassed by the sudden assessment of his scent, ‘’that’s...weirdly specific.’’

‘’That’s cause you’re mates,’’ Robbie said, ‘’so he can smell what we can’t. We can’t smell the rain.’’

‘’Can we eat?’’ Fritz asked suddenly and bluntly, the edge of irritation in his voice.

The conversation burst out on the table again as spaghetti was passed around. Raphael realised that some haven’t spoken – Neta was eyeing him with apprehension from the opposite end of the table, Sid ate in silence, not even glancing up at him and Dom’s head kept drooping, like he had taken some kind of drug. Even though he was the oldest, Raphael kind of understood why Fritz was looked at as a leader. He was the most...composed. Once the food was on the plates, Raphael fully intended to reach for his cutlery – he came from the poor end of life, and that meant never passing up on a free meal. But just then Fritz extended his hand towards him and the other towards Rosita, who took it easily and took Graham’s hand. The small pack joined hands all down the table and, uncertainly, Raphael took Fritz’s and Robbie’s, ‘’whose praying?’’ Fritz asked in a calm, gruff voice.

‘’I will,’’ Rosita stepped up immediately and closed her eyes as Raphael glanced around the table, surprised. No one questioned the prayer, clearly the daily order of things, ‘’dear lord, we thank you for this food, even though we’ve had spaghetti three times this week. Please give Dom the strength to learn to cook new dishes, and without taking meth,’’ the pack chuckled at that but Dom was pretty much unresponsive, high off his head, ‘’thank you, oh lord, for bringing Raphael to Fritz as his mate. I think. I hope,’’ she peered up at the ceiling as if she was having a personal conversation with God, ‘’I don’t know if he’s a good thing yet. I’ll get back to you. Amen.’’

‘’Amen,’’ the table echoed as they let go of each other’s hands and dug into the food, resuming their conversations.

Raphael was still pretty surprise, though this explained the cross in Fritz’s room. Eventually, he dug into his food.

*~*~*

‘’We should go on a date.’’

‘’What?’’

True to his word, Fritz let Raphael go after dinner. Or, rather, he insisted on walking him back to Bay Street, even though Raphael was a pretty big guy and Fritz was more likely to get jumped. Still, it wasn’t exactly unpleasant, walking through the dark streets in the dying summer heat, ‘’I said we should go on a date,’’ _now_ Fritz’s voice was grumpy – it was lower and a bit more slurred, ‘’like...for pizza, or something. Dunno. Never been on one.’’

‘’What’s the point? I’m not into guys and if I was, I’d definitely not bottom. That’s your wolf thing, right? You guys like the dominance and everything,’’ Raphael said.

‘’Don’t generalise,’’ Fritz’s voice was soft as he stared ahead, rather than at Raphael. Then, again, ‘’let’s go on a date. See if we...like each other.’’

‘’I’d like you if you were a girl,’’ Raphael said, shrugging, ‘’you’re a pretty chill guy, aside from the kidnapping and raiding our club.’’

An amused smile played on Fritz’s lips – Raphael had a feeling he didn’t smile often, ‘’the thing about mates...we don’t have to have a relationship or anything. We can just be mates, y’know? Sometimes just being around each other is enough.’’

Raphael frowned, ‘’enough for what?’’

‘’For me not to go crazy during the full moon.’’

Raphael stopped abruptly and Fritz turned in his direction, almost lazily, ‘’what do you mean?’’

‘’Don’t freak out,’’ Fritz shrugged again, like it wasn’t a big deal, ‘’every full moon, mated wolves feel the need to be with their mates. It’s just...a thing. New wolves are usually tied up. Those who just found their mates are, too, usually, cause the first few times can be...rough. But after that...’’ he glanced away. Clearly he wasn’t all that comfortable discussing it with a stranger, ‘’...I don’t think I’ll need you to touch me. Just being around you would...help.’’

‘’I get it,’’ Raphael said slowly, ‘’kind of. So instead of going on dates...we should just hang out sometime.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Fritz nodded, a little stiffly, and began walking again, ‘’do you have a phone?’’

‘’I got one at the tattoo parlour, but not a personal one,’’ Raphael fell into step with his mate, ‘’I could give that to you?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Fritz said gruffly, digging out his own phone. It was a shitty nokia, one that was practically extinct in 2017, but considering Fritz’s background and the fact that his pack was clearly squatting in an abandoned warehouse  it wasn’t surprising, ‘’here, just put it in...’’

Raphael did as they continued to walk. When he passed Fritz back his phone, they had turned onto Bay Street, ‘’look,’’ Fritz slowed, ‘’sorry about the whole raiding your turf thing. Figured we’d assert dominance and rumours of an illegal club made us think it was run by another gang.’’

‘’There’s no gang on Bay Street, or in the area.’’

Fritz nodded, ‘’yeah. Noted,’’ he exhaled slowly, ‘’and...sorry about forcing you to come with us. Kidnapping you, or whatever. I freaked when I felt that you were my mate. Went with my instinct.’’

‘’It’s cool,’’ Raphael said, and glanced at the shorted guy, ‘’what did it feel like? I mean...how did you know?’’

Fritz stopped altogether and glanced up at Raphael with blue eyes, ‘’I don’t know how to put it into words,’’ he said finally in a soft voice.

Raphael’s eyes flicked to his and then to his mouth, for some reason, ‘’why’d you stop?’’ he asked in a hoarse voice.

Fritz pointed down the road, ‘’cause there’s a cop car in front of your place and I don’t feel like getting arrested.’’

*~*~*

Jamie heard the bell to the coffee shop jingle as someone walked in. He had been standing with his back to the doors, facing his friends. A whole day had passed and still no sign of Raphael – they had failed him. And they were all pretty much dead from lack of sleep. Definitely couldn’t take on anyone in a fight, ‘’we’re closed,’’ Jamie barked, turning, and did a double take when he realised the cop from before – his mate – had walked in. Immediately he felt apprehension and distaste – those goddamned wolves, deciding to walk in everywhere and take whoever the fuck they wanted, ‘’how did you find me?’’ what they had tried to avoid had happened – they had directed the attention of the authorities at the last building on Bay Street.

This time, the officer was composed, ‘’by your scent,’’ he said in an earth-rich voice. Warm like coffee. Jamie hated coffee. The officer’s response earned him a few glares from Jamie’s friends, who had been filled in on the situation, ‘’I’m officer Diego Delarosa.’’

‘’I don’t care wha-‘’

‘’You said someone was kidnapped?’’ the officer cut him off, all business, ‘’I came to take you to the station, to fill in a proper report.’’

Jamie looked at him untrustingly, ‘’why can’t I do it here?’’

‘’That’s the procedure.’’

‘’I’ll go with you,’’ Gus offered in a small voice.

Jamie glanced at the officer again, ‘’and this has...nothing to do with the fact that...that we’re...’’

‘’Just doing my job, sir,’’ officer Delarosa said with a straight face.

Jamie blinked at being called sir, but eventually stepped forward, ‘’stay here, Gus,’’ he stomped past Delarosa, ‘’and you,’’ he jabbed a finger at his chest, ‘’better find Raphael.’’

‘’Aw man, you called the _cops_?’’

All heads whipped to the doors, where the bell had chimed again, notifying the group of Raphael’s arrival. Jamie’s entire form sagged, ‘’thank fuck.’’

‘’Raphael!’’ Gus yelled and ran for him, throwing his arms around his broad shoulders.

Raphael put one arm around him, ‘’damn, I was only gone a few hours.’’

‘’You were gone a whole day, asshole,’’ Val came over and smacked the boy upside his head, ‘’we were going out of our minds.’’

‘’I know, but...’’ Raphael ruffled Buster’s head as he came over and squeezed Art’s shoulder reassuringly, ‘’ _cops_?’’

‘’You better have a good story about how you got out,’’ Val said.

‘’It’s...interesting,’’ Raphael admitted, ‘’you guys look like hell. Did you sleep?’’

Buster shook his head for everyone. Officer Delarosa stepped forward, ‘’alright, I’ll need you all at the station to make statements-‘’

‘’Look, _officer_ ,’’ Jamie cut in icily, ‘’we haven’t slept all day and to be honest, you couldn’t drag me any further from my bed right now if you had a whole SWAT team with you. Raphael has been found, no thanks to you, so why don’t you just...’’ Jamie made a shooing motion, ‘’be on your way? And next time, if you’re going to follow me, at least get here early enough to resolve the problem before it resolves itself.’’

Officer Delarosa stared at Jamie for a long while, amusement twinkling in his brown eyes, before he finally inclined his head, ‘’goodnight, then.’’

The group doubted they would have gotten away with it if the officer hadn’t been Jamie’s mate, willing to play his game, but Jamie didn’t even miss a beat, following the officer to the doors, ‘’trust me, it’s going to be.’’

‘’Thanks for the help!’’ Gus called after him as Jamie slammed the doors behind him.

He put his hands on his hips, ‘’there. That got rid of him.’’

Art came to stand next to Jamie, ‘’quite the opposite,’’ he said with a sigh, ‘’I think you just made him want to stay.’’

And, with that, summer vacation finally came to an end.  


	3. CCTV in the Form of a Lovesick Cop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys SO much for all the support, especially in the form of reviews. It means the world. 
> 
>  
> 
> Xiennary123, my bae, Fritz looks more or less like this?   
> https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=firefox-b-ab&dcr=0&biw=1366&bih=654&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=6feRWq7IDqfLgAaxmauICg&q=boy+digital+art+dreadlocks&oq=boy+digital+art+dreadlocks&gs_l=psy-ab.3...44530.46121.0.46207.11.11.0.0.0.0.90.711.10.10.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..1.1.77...0i30k1j0i5i30k1j0i8i30k1.0.NZLTVILc8bc#imgrc=o9_EiH_vIjg7gM:
> 
> Or kinda like Kassim from Magi?

Buster was awoken, like every morning, by the soft snoring of Valentina in the bed in the opposite corner. Except today, Buster wasn’t in a happy mood. He had an internal clock that awoke him each day at six thirty am, so he could begin early and have a whole day to find jobs. But today...Buster sighed, rubbing his face without getting up. Today was the first of September – and school was back on. Six hours wasted on hearing the shit teachers at community college drone on that he could spend actually earning money. _One more year_ , Buster reminded himself, _then its goodbye compulsory education_. He sat up in his too-small bed, stretched and reached out to pull the rag-tag, patchwork curtain away from the window above his bed. The weather reflected his mood – it was a grey, dull morning, rain drizzling in short bursts. It was still warm enough but Buster gave September a week before he had to dig out his old coat. He let the curtain flop back in place over the dreary landscape and stood, rolling his shoulders. The room he was renting half-half with Val wasn’t all that small. It held their two beds with a long, short cupboard in between. Val had hauled it from some dump once upon a time. Two of the cupboards were missing, but the other one and the two compartments on either side were pretty useful. A single vintage lamp stood in the middle – it was broken and they didn’t have money for pointless things like light-bulbs, but it did add a touch of homeliness to the room. Jamie had nicked it for Buster’s birthday last year, from a garage sale.

Buster shuffled over and prodded Val with a finger. She grumbled a curse word at him and rolled over, ‘’come on, Val. We need to go to school.’’

Upon receiving no response, Buster shrugged and stretched. From tomorrow he’d start his 5am newspaper deliveries, but he’d long ago realised that first days of school were difficult enough without it. He dug around in his side of the cupboard and pulled out a worn black jumper with elbow patches. He tugged it on, ran a hand through his hair and yanked on the jeans he had ditched on the floor the day before. They were still relatively clean and he didn’t want to waste money on the Laundromat down the street. In a sleepy stupor, Buster shuffled over to the other end of the room where the ‘wash space’ was. It consisted of an old cabinet, holding a bowl and a cup with two toothbrushes. Buster took his and squeezed out the last sad dregs of toothpaste onto it, leaving none for Val. He opened the window and the chilly morning air woke him up. He half-leaned out, waving at DeeDee, who was waddling out of the building back to her weed van with a cup of herbal tea. He brushed his teeth half-heartedly with the other hand, making a mental note of what he had to buy after school and realising there was no way he had enough money for it all. He had to pay rent at the end of the week, and if you took that away, he was left with barely enough money for food. If he decided to eat instant noodles. Or maybe a packet of bread would do the trick. He could, technically, just live of tea. How long did it take to starve to death?

Buster tossed his toothbrush back into the cup and picked up the plastic bottle they re-filled with water every few days. He took a gulp, swished it around his mouth and spat it out through the window, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. He’d have to take some liberties with shopping this week. No toothpaste, no breakfast. He could do without that. He’d need some energy for afternoon jobs. Maybe he’d get a six-pack of energy drinks with the bread, then. Buster swore in his head. He had to get a new pair of shoes; his trainers had holes in the soles and it would be rain season soon. What was worse, starvation or gangrene? Buster clenched his teeth as he pulled said shoes onto his feet. He’d think of something. He was a resourceful guy.

As he was leaving the room, Buster grabbed the group’s baby – the old, outdated MP3 player. He had been fiddling with it the previous night, setting a new playlist for the Crypt, since pretty soon the new university students would come pouring in. Now he found his secret weapon that he used to wake Valentina up. He put the national anthem on, pulled the sound as loud as he could and put the MP3 on the wash basin. Val groaned and swore at him, hiding her head under her pillow – she would have to get up to turn the MP3 off eventually. Buster grinned at his pissed off roommate and slipped from the room.

‘’Morning,’’ Gus said, leaving his room at the same time. His was tiny, barely big enough to fit a tiny bed on which Gus curled up and his own wash-space. Gus went to the local high school with Val and Jamie, so he was in his school uniform. He had once upon a time attended a private academy. When he bought his school uniform, he had been so stuck for money he’d gone for a couple sizes too big, so he never had to buy another one. It still hung off him like a sheet.

‘’Hey,’’ Buster put an arm around Gus’ shoulders and gave the sleepy boy a quick hug, ‘’sleep well?’’

Gus hummed affirmative as they started down the mouldy stairs down three flights, to the coffee shop, ‘’I hate school,’’ he mumbled.

‘’Same,’’ Buster said. They didn’t have money for stuff like bags and pencil cases, so they usually nicked them off teachers or other students.

‘’I wish I went community college with you and Art. It seems so much more relaxed.’’

Buster snorted, ‘’trust me, you don’t. With high school, at least you can do something with your life. Art is probably always going to be a stripper and I’ll croak before I’m twenty.’’

‘’Don’t say that!’’ Gus protested, aghast, as they entered the coffee shop through the back doors.

Jamie was already there. His school uniform was, in turn, too small. His shirt was faded to a piss-grey, his jumper frayed and barely reaching his bellybutton. Jamie didn’t give two shits. He sat by the counter of the coffee shop, drinking orange juice and chatting with his co-worker, Toby. Now that school was back on and students were pouring into the university a few streets down, all places gained more workers, even the Crypt. Toby was a freelance photographer with shaggy brown hair and stubble but usually he was a pretty dope guy – Jamie refused to let him anywhere near the coffee shop in the summer, taking on as many shifts as he could. But when school started he had no choice but to let Toby do his shifts when he was gone.

‘’Mornin’, Augustin. Mihael.’’

Buster rolled his eyes and Gus smiled. Toby had a weird habit of calling everyone by their full first names, ‘’hey, Tobias,’’ Buster said, finally giving him a smile as he slid in next to Jamie. ‘’I see Jamie has finally let you come back to work.’’

‘’James is like a pit-bull when it comes to his coffee shop,’’ Tobias said with a dopey grin, beginning to make Gus and Buster tea, ‘’so territorial.’’

Jamie flipped him off, too tired to think of a retort. Buster glanced around. There were two regulars in the corners of the coffee shop, and one looked asleep. There was a sound like a thunder above Buster’s head and a second later a pissed-off Val appeared in the coffee shop, ‘’Mornin’, Valentina!’’ Toby said brightly.

Val stormed up to Buster and grabbed him by his jumper, yanking him forward so they were practically Eskimo kissing, ‘’play God Save the Queen one more time to wake me up,’’ she hissed, ‘’and I’ll rip off your elbow patches and stuff them up your ass.’’

‘’Whoa, so graphic so early in the morning,’’ came a fond voice.

‘’Hey, Art,’’ Buster said with a smile as Val let go of his jumper, kissing her teeth.

‘’Arthur!’’ Toby called brightly, ‘’coffee?’’

‘’Yeah, please. Haven’t seen you in a while,’’ Art said, sitting on a vacant stool. He always came to the building in the mornings to pick Buster up, so they could walk to community college together.  

‘’James wouldn’t let me close,’’ Toby chuckled.

The group received their drinks, which they sipped quickly. They didn’t have the time nor the resources for breakfast. After a while, Raphael came in, ‘’yo, two things,’’ he said, ‘’one,’’ he pointed to Jamie, ‘’your cop is idling on the curb.’’

Jamie groaned, ‘’he’s not my cop. And I have no idea why he’s here.’’

‘’He can probably smell DeeDee’s weed all the way up at the front,’’ Buster said.

‘’Or it’s because you’re mates or some shit,’’ Val yawner.

Toby’s eyes widened, ‘’no shit?’’

Jamie waved the comment off, ‘’long story.’’

‘’Two,’’ Raphael smacked an opened envelope onto the counter, ‘’why does no one check the mail round here?’’

‘’What’s that?’’ Gus leaned over the envelope.

Art winced, guessing, ‘’is it the council notice about the building again?’’

Raphael nodded. Gus looked at them wide-eyed, ‘’but this is the second one in the last three months!’’

‘’Don’t worry, Gus,’’ Raphael sank his hand into Gus’ soft, light brown hair, ‘’they won’t actually knock it down.’’

‘’But they keep saying it’s a safety hazard!’’

‘’It’s been a safety hazard for years,’’ Jamie said matter-of-factly, ‘’they only care now because the street is getting developed and our building is ugly. Don’t worry, it will blow over,’’ he chugged the rest of his orange juice and stood, ‘’come on, gang. Let’s get our education.’’

*~*~*

Art and Buster got to their classroom right before the bell sounded. The community college building was located along the park-gone-wild that extended from the end of Bay Street all the way down to the city centre. The building was along the forlorn greenery, about thirty minutes from the last building on Bay Street. It was a miserable, squat thing with a couple classrooms, an unused basketball court and a shitty cafeteria. Buster and Art slid into the last bench, saying hurried hellos to all their classmates that hadn’t overdosed or gone AWOL over summer, right before the headmaster, a man as grey and miserable as the building he operated, came in, ‘’I hope you all had a great summer,’’ he said in a voice that sounded two seconds away from a yawn. The college was under-staffed so apart from being a headmaster, he was also the math and science teacher. His voice alone often put Art to sleep, ‘’as you all probably know, the werewolf reservoir has been opened and our community has welcomed many competent, intelligent members into its ranks,’’ he yawned for real and continued, ‘’one of the professors from the university, a wolf, has decided to contribute to the community. Aside from doing lectures at the university, he will also be coming in three times a week to do English Literature lessons with you all, free of charge. I hope you appreciate that as much as we all do.’’

No one said anything. Most were in that classroom because it was compulsory. To them, a subject like English Literature made little difference to their lives. The headmaster checked his watch and gave a quick note, ‘’he will be here soon,’’ he promised and left to attend his own lesson.

‘’Probably some old fart like that guy, Shakespeare,’’ Buster said, uninterested. The class chuckled.

Art grinned and jumped up onto his desk, extending his arm in front of him, much to the amusement of the class, ‘’Romeo, Romeo, where are thou, Romeo-‘’

‘’Deny thy father and refuse thy name,’’ cut in a voice from the doors, low and soothing, and Art faltered, hand dropping, as all turned to watch the new teacher come in, ‘’or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,’’ the teacher continued casually as he walked into the classroom and set his books and folders down on the desk, ‘’‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy; what’s in a name?’’

Art took a second to process what happened, stunned, ‘’I have no idea what you just said,’’ he said finally, ‘’but my name is Art.’’

‘’Well, Art,’’ the teacher said with a faintly amused smile, ‘’would you mind getting off the desk?’’

Art jumped down obediently and finally looked at the man properly. He looked...well, like a university professor, but much younger than Art would have expected. Art wouldn’t have given him more than twenty five, twenty six years. He was clearly a man of good breed, with pale skin and beautiful bone structure that gave his face a royal quality. He had a slim, straight nose and icy-blue eyes. They were warm, but incredibly light, almost glowing. His hair was pitch black and slicked back, not by a gel or anything, but just by some law of physics. The man wore a suit – an actual suit! Art had never seen anyone wear a suit in the college, but it suited him.

Art glanced up and saw that the man was staring at him, his pale blue eyes boring into him. He could have sworn he saw them flash gold for a moment, before the man addressed him again, ‘’and, for the record, it’s ‘wherefore art thou, Romeo’, but you don’t need to know that, because I will not be teaching you poetry,’’ he nodded at Art to sit down and the pale haired boy slid into his chair next to Buster, still slightly stunned, ‘’my name is Jed March,’’ the teacher introduced himself, ‘’and I won’t really be teaching you English Literature, because I doubt you need that kind of thing at this point of your life. Instead, I’ll be teaching you how to write. CVs, university applications, job applications, resumes, letters, professional emails... things you will actually need,’’ his voice was velvety smooth, almost hypnotising. It had the opposite effect to the headmaster’s – instead of putting to sleep, Jed March’s voice made people sit in complete silence and actually listen.

Art had never heard his class so utterly silent.

Jed March looked at the class with a half-smile, ‘’let’s get started.’’

*~*~*

After school, Art and Buster split ways. Art went back to his spider infested basement room under the car garage a few streets down, to catch some sleep before his shift at the Crypt. Buster, on the other hand, wandered the streets, racking his brain for any sort of job he could pull out of his ass at the present time. He was a bright guy and he could do anything and everything – he found jobs when he needed them, but he usually needed time to do it. He weekly scanned all his usual spots for notices about jobs and scheduled them in the weeks to come. But he’d not been this tight with money for a very long while. His thoughts led him all the way to the city centre, which was the smack opposite of Bay Street – it was kind of hard to image both places were within half an hour walk of each other. Bay Street was being renovated into a pretty, calm neighbourhood with a park at its back. The city centre was a loud rush of fumes, shops and cars. There was a train station and a high street with all the big shops. Buster kind of hated going there but if he was going to find a job in that moment, it was the place to look.

After two hours of asking and checking out notices, coming up empty, Buster was resting. He was leaning against the fences bridging off the streets form the pavements when he saw him.

He saw him mostly because he was tall as a tree and radiated privilege. He looked a bit like a celebrity, if Buster was to be honest. Judging by his dark eyebrows, his mop of silvery-blond hair was bleached; it was styled in a way that made it looked wind-blown without actually making it messy. From where he stood, Buster couldn’t tell the man’s exact eye colour, but they looked bright. He had delicate, elegant features and skin as pale as porcelain. He wore a silver earring in one ear and had an actual fashionable scarf wrapped around his pale, long neck. _Damn, he’s pretty_ , Buster thought, followed by, _damn, he probably has a shitload of cash in his wallet_. There it was – his job. The thing that would mean he wouldn’t have to starve or get gangrene. The pretty rich boy standing apart from the crowd, waiting for the green light to cross the street, was going to be his bread, instant ramen and new shoes. Buster pushed himself off the rail.

As casually as he could in this situation, Buster made his way over to the crowd, pushing his way till he was close enough to his target. He didn’t like stealing but he wasn’t against it – he knew what desperation drove people to do. Buster glanced at the man’s outfit. A nicely fitted blazer, a white shirt undone at the top and fashionable jeans – ah, bingo! A wallet stuffed into his back pocket, attached to a silver chain that ran to one of the hooks at the man’s belt. Buster had nicked enough wallets to know how to undo those chains with one hand, which is what he did now, keeping one eye on the lights across the street.

The moment that red man went green, his chance was gone.

Meanwhile, the wolf he was trying to steal from was perfectly aware of what he was doing. If he had been human, he probably wouldn’t have noticed, but as a wolf it was easy to pick out the boy’s nervous smell, to feel the brush of his fingers against his jeans. Normally, the wolf would have reacted, but now he didn’t move, sniffing the air gently. He could tell apart each note of the boy’s smell, like separate ribbons of taste in a good wine. Heat, sunlight – things that shouldn’t have a smell but which clung to the boy. Fresh air, tinged with salt, like the boy had grown up near an ocean and the smell remained soaked into his skin. A manufactured sweetness, like fizzy drinks or candy. Sweet nonetheless. The wolf glanced sideways at the boy, just to see what he looked like – thick, messy brown hair, brown eyes, tan, freckled skin and a nose that had been broken a couple of times. Not bad. And then another smell hit the wolf’s nose. A different smell, so clear and obvious.

Mate.

He let the boy take his wallet.

*~*~*

Jamie was irritated beyond belief.

He’d come to the coffee shop after a pointless day at school and relieved Toby behind the counter. From where he stood, making coffees, he could very clearly see Diego Delarosa’s car parked out front. Didn’t this man have work? Jamie was growing agitated. The car had been parked there as long as Jamie’s shift had lasted, maybe even since the morning – it made him nervous and, if word went round that a cop was hanging around the last apartment on Bay Street the turn up at the Start of the School Year party the Crypt was having that night would be poor. When the doors of the car finally opened and Delarosa stepped out, Jamie was almost relieved. He watched with narrowed blue eyes as the officer walked across the pavement and into the coffee shop. There was no queue at this time, so he went straight up to the counter. He was in his proper uniform this time round, his black hair shaggy, pale brown eyes amused as they took Jamie in.

‘’I don’t know what you think you’re doing,’’ Jamie hissed when Delarosa reached the counter, ‘’but you better stop. Patrolling my building won’t make this fucking mate thing work between us, you piece of shit, so stop getting on my nerves.’’

Delarosa’s lips quirked up in a smile, ‘’I was just going to order a coffee.’’

Jamie swallowed his words, the rage bubbling up in him. Smug bastard, ‘’what kind?’’ he asked through clenched teeth. He wished he had rat poison around so he could mix it in.

‘’What kind do you have?’’ Delarosa leaned on the counter causally.

Jamie snapped, ‘’don’t you have somewhere to be?’’

‘’Day off,’’ Delarosa gave him an exaggerated grin.

‘’Ah, I can see you’re a very interesting man. Your hobby is hanging around run-down buildings, pissing off baristas.’’

‘’Amongst others,’’ Delarosa looked more and more amused. Now that he was talking more, Jamie couldn’t help but listen in on the smoky, deep quality of his voice, ‘’you got a name?’’

‘’Yeah, and your mom was screaming it last night,’’ Jamie said automatically.

Delarosa snorted with genuine humoured surprise, ‘’young then, are you?’’ he cocked his head and Jamie shivered at the way the man looked at him, ‘’seventeen?’’ the man guessed, drawing out the ‘s’.

‘’Sixteen,’’ Jamie corrected him on default and gestured to a table in the corner, ‘’that’s where all the other paedophiles sit. Please, make yourself comfortable.’’

‘’I’m only twenty five,’’ Delarosa assured.

Jamie made a big show of counting on his fingers, ‘’hmm, nine years difference. No, yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem,’’ he said sarcastically.

Something glinted in the man’s eyes, ‘’you don’t choose who your mate is.’’

‘’Yeah, clearly, since I wouldn’t have chosen you in a million years.’’

Something else flickered in the wolf’s eyes and this time it was easier to pin-point: hurt. But the smile remained in place, ‘’tell you what,’’ Diego Delarosa said, ‘’tell me your name and I’ll take my coffee and go back to my car.’’

Jamie’s eyes narrowed, ‘’I’ll tell you my name if you skip the coffee, get in your car and go back to your station.’’

‘’Deal.’’

‘’Jamie.’’

Delarosa’s eyes brightened, ‘’Jamie. James?’’

‘’ _Jamie_ ,’’ the blond hissed. He hated being called James.

‘’Jamie what?’’

Jamie hesitated, ‘’...Jamie Jansen.’’

Delarosa hummed in interest, ‘’you’re Dutch?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Jamie said wearily.

‘’You don’t sound like it.’’

‘’I was born here,’’ Jamie grew irritated and waved the officer away, ‘’alright, you know my name. Now scram.’’

Diego Delarosa raised his hands to shoulder level in mock surrender and smiled, ‘’I’ll catch you later, Jamie Jansen.’’

It sounded like a promise that only fuelled Jamie’s irritation. He had no doubt that his persistent mate would return the next day.

Val came in through the back doors, ‘’yo, can I have a-‘’

‘’Watch the till,’’ Jamie said distractedly, swerving round her and going through the back, all the way to the back yard. He jogged up to DeeDee’s van and knocked.

The old woman opened the doors, peering at Jamie through her sunglasses, a cloud of smoke billowing from the van as she opened the doors, ‘’ah, Jamie, my dear!’’ she said fondly, showing off her missing teeth, ‘’I was hot-boxing the trailer and listening to Dr Dre. You want in?’’

Jamie jabbed a thumb behind him, ‘’I need to get back to my shift,’’ he pointed at DeeDee, ‘’and I need you to go off the radar for a while.’’

DeeDee frowned her wrinkly forehead, ‘’why?’’

‘’There’s a cop going round the block, sniffing. If he finds you, shit could get messy.’’

DeeDee shook her head, ‘’it’s bad for business.’’

‘’Come on, Dee. Just for a few days.’’

DeeDee reached out and pinched Jamie’s cheek affectionately, ‘’I’m not shutting my farm. Those plants are my babies. I’d rather get arrested,’’ she said with finality and slammed the doors to the van shut.

Jamie groaned.

*~*~*

Buster was back home an hour, maybe an hour and a half, when the wolf tracked him down. He had finished filling in Jamie on his day after Jamie filled him in on his little run in with the cop. The day was slow for customer, so they just sat there, drinking tea and juice. Buster had the wallet tucked into his back pocket, ready to get rid of it – he’d left the credit cards inside, because they were easy to track. He’d taken out all the cash and...and the ID. He hadn’t told Jamie that part. He’d taken out the ID of the man he robbed – twenty year old Gideon Reis – and he couldn’t bring himself to put the ID back. He’d just stared and stared at the small ID picture of the man and eventually he’d stuffed the plastic card under his pillow.

When the bell by the doors chimed and in the next instance Gideon Reis slid onto the stool three down from Buster’s, the thief froze. Gideon wasn’t looking in his direction but he looked incredibly out of place, what with his nice clothes and perfect hair. Buster tensed up, turned his head to the side and rested his temple against his hand. Shit, had the man followed him? Had he realised Buster stole his wallet? Or was this all some messed up coincidence? Buster desperately wanted to slip away but he didn’t want to look suspicious. Plus, if he turned and Gideon happened to look, he’d seen his own wallet sticking out of the back pocket of Buster’s jeans, ‘’what can I get you?’’ Jamie asked in an emotionless voice.

‘’A latte.’’

Buster’s whole body reacted to the velvety texture of Gideon’s voice. Shit. He had to get out of there, _fast_.

‘’You can have coffee, tea or hot chocolate,’’ Jamie deadpanned.

‘’I suppose you don’t have earl grey?’’ Gideon sighed in annoyance.

Jamie glared at him, ‘’I suppose your chauffeur can’t take you down the block to Starbucks, Mr. Edgy White  Boy,’’ he snapped, ‘’now you want the bloody tea or not, you tree?’’

Gideon kissed his teeth softly and waved an elegant hand, ‘’fine. Tea,’’ Buster watched from the corner of his eye as Gideon produced a _second_ wallet and slapped a fiver on the counter, ‘’there. Keep the change.’’

‘’Don’t need charity,’’ Jamie snarled.

‘’Then try and not look like a charity case,’’ Gideon snapped and Jamie flushed, shutting up. Irritated and losing his composure, fast, the wolf swirled round to face Buster, ‘’and you,’’ he snapped and Buster flinched, ‘’how long are you going to pretend you don’t recognise me.’’

Slowly, Buster lowered his hand and, pale, turned to the wolf, ‘’u-um...’’

Gideon stared at him with burning eyes, mouth pursued, dark eyebrows drawn. He looked like he was contemplating telling Buster something but eventually he straightened and that look disappeared from his eyes. Instead, he extended an expectant hand, ‘’my wallet?’’

‘’What do you need two for?’’ Buster blurted.

Gideon gave him a hard stare, ‘’wallet and _apology_.’’

Buster slid off the stool reluctantly and fished out his wallet from his back pocket, setting it in his hand. Their fingers brushed, ‘’s-sorry.’’

Gideon pocketed his wallet, sighing as if he was highly in convened, ‘’I suppose you stole all the cash,’’ before Buster could protest (though he had), Gideon waved a hand, ‘’whatever. I don’t care,’’ he wrinkled his nose, ‘’you should put it into refurbishing this place. It’s a dump.’’

‘’Here’s your tea,’’ Jamie said with malice, really wishing he had the rat poison as he set Gideon’s tea in front of him.

Gideon glanced down at the tea, then at Jamie, gave an amused, high and mighty huff and got up, leaving without a ward.

‘’Jamie, don’t throw the cu-‘’

‘’BASTARD!’’ Jamie roared, sending the cup sailing across the room. The tea splashed on the floor and the cup shattered.

*~*~*

Art arrived the latest, a little after seven when Jamie had closed the coffee shop. He had the job of prepping the Crypt while Jamie caught about two and a half hours of sleep before the club opened. But something was different when Art arrived in the coffee shop. Everyone was gathered downstairs, and in the middle of the room stood...

‘’Are you following me?’’ Art frowned at Jed March.

Professor March inclined his head, still in his suit, ‘’good evening, Art.’’

‘’Yeah. Hi,’’ Art blinked, ‘’so...are you following me?’’

Jed smiled with amusement, ‘’no, of course not. I own the building.’’

Art gaped, ‘’ _you’re_ the owner?’’ for as long as all of them had been in the last building on Bay Street, they had not seen the owner. They had a grumpy, uptight, old landlady; Nicky owned A Touch of Ink; Tamika was the boss of the coffee shop; Song was the head florist upstairs.

‘’I am,’’ Jed nodded, ‘’I’ve decided to check up on the place, since the notice went up about the building getting demolished.’’

‘’It’s not getting demolished,’’ Art said quickly.

‘’Hmm,’’ was all Jed March said, ‘’we’ll see what can be done,’’ Art realised he must have been there for a while, discussing whatever, because he was now ready to leave, ‘’Art, would you accompany me to my car?’’

‘’Um...sure,’’ Art frowned at the strange request but walked after his teacher outside. While the morning had been chilly, the evening still held the last of the summer’s warmth.

Jed stopped before a decent car, though Art had no idea what type it was. He turned, ‘’maybe I did follow you, a little,’’ he conceded, that amused glint still in his eye. As if he was admiring an interesting biological specimen.

‘’Why?’’

Jed sighed, though not unhappily, and leaned against his car, crossing his arms over his chest, ‘’it seems,’’ he said slowly, ‘’that you are my mate.’’

Art gaped at him, ‘’wha... _how_? I don’t feel anything.’’

‘’That’s because you’re human,’’ Jed explained patiently, ‘’I felt it as soon as I saw you. I can tell by your scent, too,’’ he chuckled, ‘’but don’t worry. I don’t plan to act on it. You are, after all, very young. And my student. It wouldn’t be wise.’’

Art stared at him, ‘’isn’t that...against your nature?’’

Jed chuckled again, ‘’people defy their nature all the time. If you try hard, you find it’s not that hard.’’

‘’Ouch,’’ Art said with an uncertain smile, thought he felt a little relieved. The idea of being tied to a wolf, and a man at that... ‘’you make it sound like I’m not a very good catch.’’

‘’Oh, no, I’d say you’re quite a good one,’’ Jed said calmly, ‘’a very good one, actually. Simply not for me,’’ he took car keys from his pocket and opened his car, ‘’I will see you at school. Goodnight, Art.’’

‘’Night, Mr March,’’ Art said.

Jed climbed into his car and drove off.

And that was that.

*~*~*

It was late night.

Val was snoring her head off.

Buster couldn’t sleep. By the light of the moon, he was staring at the plastic square in his hand. Gideon’s ID. He kept admiring the small picture in the corner. He really was beautiful. Buster wasn’t gay, by any means. So he was very confused as to why he couldn’t throw the ID away. Very, _very_ confused.


	4. Candyfloss or Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry that it took a bit to update - I've been crazy tired the past few days. 
> 
> xiennary123 - my all time favourite bae. Hi. Hello. I'M SO HAPPY YOU LOVE THE STORY YAAAS. OMG I HATE YOU I google Gideon from gravity falls and NOW I CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD xD Thank so much for being here bby :* 
> 
> Bbboo - yaaas I'm so happy I made you re-think your fave couple mwehehehe. Thanks so much for reviewing!
> 
> Az00re - OMG I would absolutely LOVE to see what you drew. I'm super excited. Please (if you don't mind, of course) email me your pictures (annajdziki@gmail.com). Thank you for your review :**** 
> 
> & thank you to everyone else who supported this story in any way. It means so much! Enjoy!

‘’Art, can I speak to you for a moment?’’

Art blinked, surprised, ‘’sure, Mr March.’’

‘’I’ll wait for you,’’ Buster promised, slipping from the room with the rest of the class.

Art approached Jed March’s desk, where he was filing through the assignments the class had (miraculously) handed it, ‘’good lesson today,’’ Art said truthfully; he certainly enjoyed learning how to apply writing to life skills more than math or science. March offered him a quick smile, ‘’so what’s up, sir?’’ Art was eternally grateful that his mate turned out to be someone so logical. March barely ever brought up their bond and he was happy to leave Art alone, unlike a certain cop who hounded Jamie most days.

‘’Tomorrow is the full moon.’’

Art grinned, ‘’are you going to change into a proper werewolf? Go all ‘ _Wolfman_ ’ on the town?’’

‘’It’s no laughing matter, Art,’’ March said calmly, setting down the paper and lacing his fingers together on his desk, ‘’I could try to attack you.’’

Art blinked, the grin disappearing, ‘’like...kill?’’

‘’Copulate,’’ March corrected.

Art gave him a look, eyebrow raised, ‘’I don’t know what that means, sir.’’

‘’Breed,’’ March reiterated, as calmly as if they were discussing a class project, ‘’have sex with you.’’

Art jerked back from him violently, bumping into the desk behind him, ‘’you’re kidding.’’

‘’I won’t do it, obviously,’’ March’s voice shifted from calm to calming, ‘’I am a born wolf; I know how to control myself. I am simply warning you to perhaps...lock your doors. And windows. Just in case. This will be my first full moon having a mate.’’

Slowly, Art swallowed, ‘’um...so how does the full moon thing work?’’

‘’Well, usually, a wolf will shift and go on a run with his pack. If they have a mate, they will copulate after or before, depending how new the bond is. I have just moved here and my old pack is all the way in the wolf district. Until I find a pack here, I have no others to help...control me, if things don’t go as planned. But, don’t worry,’’ March stood and gathered his papers, ‘’I have my own means of making sure I don’t track you down. Still,’’ he walked around the desk and stopped a step away from Art, ‘’I’d rather you take the precautions.’’

It took Art a second to find his voice, ‘’s-sure.’’

March gave him a reassuring smile, ‘’good work today.’’

For some reason, Art didn’t dare leave the classroom until he was absolutely sure his teacher was gone. Then, he slumped against the table he had fallen against and exhaled. Copulating? Breeding? What the _actual_ fuck? Remembering Buster was waiting for him, Art scrambled off the desk and out of the classroom, leaving the community college building as quickly as if it was on fire.

Buster was waiting outside, as promised. Jamie, Val and Gus were with him, having come from their high school to pick them up. Art contemplated mentioning the full moon to them, considering that Jamie had a mate, too, but Val beat him to starting the conversation, ‘’what are we doing about the council notice?’’

Jamie stuffed his hands into his pockets. It was still warm enough that they all refrained from using their coats, which were pretty close to being worn useless anyway, ‘’they just don’t like our building cause its ugly and it smells like weed.’’

‘’The most logical thing to do,’’ Gus said, ‘’would be to close down all the illegal businesses and have the council do an inspection. Then they could use tax money to refurbish so it’s not a safety hazard anymore.’’

Buster gave him a look, ‘’if we close down the illegal businesses then half of us lose our jobs.’’

Jamie snorted, ‘’my rent is an illegal business.’’

Art sighed, ‘’even without the illegal businesses, our building would be too much of a hassle. They’d probably just close it down anyway. Better we avoid an inspection.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Val agreed, ‘’we already have a cop sniffing round anyway.’’

Jamie groaned at the mentions of his mate.

‘’I feel like we all need to relax. Chill out,’’ Val said suddenly and turned to her best friend, ‘’Buster, you’re working in the funfair tonight, right?’’

‘’Yeah, till the weekend,’’ Buster raised an eyebrow; as soon as a new job that did not require training or background checks popped up in the area, Buster was on it, ‘’why?’’

Jamie grinned, catching on, ‘’sneak us in?’’

They could all do with a night off.

*~*~*  


That evening, a couple hours before closing time, Buster found himself holding unlocking the temporary gate running around the length of the theme park in town until the weekend so his friends could slip through, and stamping their hands with a red permit as they passed him, ‘’thanks, Bus,’’ Val ruffled his hair as she slinked past. It was dark so, thankfully, they weren’t spotted.

‘’Have fun,’’ Buster waved at his friends fondly, visible in the darkness away from the fairground lights thanks to his luminescent bib.

‘’Come with us?’’ Gus asked sweetly, tugging on his hand.

Buster gave his hand a squeeze, ‘’wish I could but I’m operating the teacups for the next hour. I’ll catch you guys after, for dinner,’’ in their case dinner was a monthly affair, if they could afford it – a walk down to the other end of Bay Street to the greasy fast food place which sold good burgers and cheap fries. They were under no illusion that once the more pressing buildings on the street were taken care of, the less ‘prestige’ joints would go down next, including their beloved burger place.

‘’Kay,’’ Gus gave Buster a radiant smile, giddy as a child, and the group of friends turned with hurried waves and ventured into the bright whirlpool of lights, sounds and smells. ‘’What shall we go on first?’’ Gus bounced with excitement, clinging onto Raphael’s arm.

The tattooist chuckled, ‘’bumpy cars?’’

Jamie rubbed his hands together, eyes flashing, ‘’hell yeah.’’

Art grinned, ‘’shit, I’m doubling up with you.’’

‘’Huh? Why?’’ Val asked.

‘’Cause I’d rather be in a car _with_ him than in a car that is going to be hit _by_ him.’’

‘’Wise choice,’’ Jamie said gravelly, then laughed and jogged on ahead to join the small queue down the side of the bumpy car stage.

Ten minutes later the group emerged – all but Art and Jamie rubbing various parts of their bodies, ‘’it was a wise choice indeed, Art,’’ Raphael said, patting his thighs where he had been thrown against the sides of his car gingerly. Val glared at the blond pointedly while he high-fived Art.

Gus opened his mouth to join in the complaining when suddenly his eyes sparkled and he stopped, ‘’oh my gosh,’’ he whispered, ‘ _’candy floss_!’’

He was zapping off before the group could contemplate the cost and they had no choice but to join him. Gus stopped a foot away from the machine and the light in his eyes dimmed, ‘’oh,’’ he said just as his friends reached him, ‘’its two fifty.’’

Art’s eyes bulged out, ‘’that’s a straight up robbery!’’

Raphael, who often acted like the big brother of the group, dug his hand into the back pocket of his old jeans, ‘’I have fifty pence,’’ he said and double checked his pocket, ‘’oh! Fifty five!’’

Gus glanced at him guiltily, ‘’you don’t have to...’’

‘’Nah, come on,’’ Raphael gave him a grin, ‘’it’s not every day we get to have actual, real, funfair candyfloss. Turn out your pockets, kids,’’ no one protested.

‘’I have a pound,’’ Gus offered.

‘’I have nothing,’’ Val said sheepishly, patting down her clothes, ‘’the fights were called off yesterday cause of a police raid.’’

‘’Fear not, Val,’’ Art pulled out a twenty pence coin, ‘’I am here to save our candy floss venture.’’

Gus laughed, gingerly collecting the coins in his hands, ‘’one fifty...one fifty five...one seventy five...’’ his face fell ever so slightly, ‘’oh well...’’

Jamie, who also came up with no coins, grabbed the ones from Gus’ hand, ‘’nah, we’re getting you your candy floss,’’ he said and marched up to the tiny, pastel-coloured stand, slapping the coins onto the counter, ‘’hi. We have one seventy five and a kid whose dying for some ‘floss,’’ behind him, Val cracked her knuckles, peering at the vendor from under her dark fringe. Raphael stood behind her, towering over both, ‘’feel like being a good Samaritan today?’’

The vendor glanced nervously between the three and snatched the money, ‘’s-sure,’’ he probably wasn’t used to having thug-like teenagers threaten him for candy floss because he started up his machine, rapid-fire. As the wisps of fluffy sugar began to appear around the wooden stick, he glanced nervously again at the group. Jamie monitored him closely and when the vendor reached for the off button, he flicked his hand, ‘’keep going,’’ he nodded approvingly as the pink ball grew, ‘’more, more...’’

‘’Put some heart into it,’’ Val prompted darkly.

When finally the floss brushed the vendor’s knuckles, Raphael gave him thumbs up and a grin. Jamie took the floss from him, ‘’cheers, vendor man,’’ he said with a sweet smile that promised death if they were reported and sauntered off with their prize, ‘’here’s the candyfloss, Gus!’’ he proclaimed, smiling fondly at Gus’ elevated grin.

‘’Thanks!’’ he all but squealed, taking the stick from Jamie’s hand. But he made no move to eat it, gesturing to the rest of the group, ‘’have some.’’

No one denied the rare delicacy and soon enough they all had their hands full of pink fluff and sticky as all hell, ‘’we should leave some for Buster,’’ Art said half-heartedly but the group couldn’t stop themselves. Soon enough the candy floss was gone.

‘’What now?’’ Val asked, licking her fingers.

Art pointed, ‘’Ferris wheel?’’

Raphael shook his head, ‘’I’ll wait below. I’m not great with heights.’’

‘’You sure?’’ Gus asked.

‘’Yeah. But I’m picking the next ride.’’

‘’Kay,’’ Gus gave him a smile as sweet as the candyfloss.

Raphael watched them jog over to the queue and sauntered over himself, taking his time. When the group boarded one of the colourful swings,  he leaned against the metal gate around it and stared out into the fairground. It really was pretty.

‘’Hey.’’

Raphael jumped at the familiar, raspy voice and turned to raise an eyebrow at Fritz, ‘’you startled me.’’

‘’Yeah.’’

‘’How’d you know I was here?’’

‘’Scent,’’ Fritz shrugged, ‘’look, I don’t have a lot of time tonight. I just came to warn you.’’

‘’Well that’s not freaky at all,’’ Raphael said bluntly.

‘’It’s not,’’ Fritz assured, and nodded his sharp chin at the sky, ‘’but the full moon is tomorrow and I could go a bit berserk.’’

‘’Are you sure you’re not trying to freak me out?’’

A smile tugged on the corner of Fritz’s lips, ‘’nah. Just...lock your doors, kay? I don’t know how I’ll behave, having a mate and all.’’

‘’Care to explain?’’

‘’You don’t want to know the details. It’ll just freak you out more. Don’t worry, I have my pack to run with, so I shouldn’t even think of you. It’s just in case.’’

‘’Alright,’’ Raphael nodded uncertainly, ‘’I’ll pretend to understand what you’re talking about.’’

Fritz’s smile grew a tiny bit and he pointed to the Ferris wheel, ‘’are your friend up?’’

‘’Yeah.’’

‘’Let me guess; you’re scared of heights.’’

‘’Kinda.’’

‘’Well I’m scared of water, so I guess it balances out,’’ Fritz’s blue eyes swam with amusement.

Raphael shook his head and grinned. And then this weird feeling overtook him; like he didn’t want Fritz to go. He nodded towards the teacups, spinning around wildly on their platform, ‘’wanna go on some ride that doesn’t involve heights or water?’’

‘’No stamp,’’ Fritz held up his pale hand, showing Raphael the bare skin; he must have snuck in, too, ‘’plus, I really have to go. There’s things I need to do today. Thanks, though. ’’

Raphael nodded, unsure why he felt so disappointed, ‘’we’re still up for hanging out sometime, right?’’ he asked, despite himself.

Something like surprise, mixed with something else, glimmered in Fritz’s eyes; and then the wolf gave Raphael a proper grin, ‘’course,’’ he said easily and turned to walk away, ‘’laters,’’ he put a hand in the air and disappeared into the darkness.

Raphael leaned back against the metal fence with a sigh.

*~*~*

When Jamie, Gus, Val and Buster returned late at night to the last building on Bay Street, they found Diego Delarosa’s car parked out front, with the man himself leaning against it, as if he was waiting. Jamie cast a glance at his friends, ‘’I got this,’’ he assured. His friends looked at him in worry but after an impatient gesture from Jamie, they filed into the apartment to go to their rooms. Only when they were inside, Jamie approached Delarosa wearily, ‘’what do you want?’’ he asked.

Delarosa sniffed the air gently, ‘’you smell like candyfloss. Did you go to the funfair?’’

‘’None of your business,’’ Jamie growled darkly, ‘’tell me what you want or fuck off. ’’Delarosa raised an eyebrow at the language, but bent down to retrieve something resting against his leg. Impatient and on edge, Jamie dug out a packet of cigarettes from his back pocket – it would have been an expensive habit, except DeeDee paid him in those for rent. He popped one in between his lips and dug around for a lighter when suddenly the cigarette was snatched from his mouth, ‘’oi!’’

‘’You’re underage,’’ Delarosa said; it was the first time Jamie had seen him so serious, ‘’I was wondering why you always smell like smoke.’’

‘’You’re not my dad,’’ Jamie snapped, ‘’and stop sniffing me like some kind of bitch in heat.’’

‘’Look, I’m getting really tired of your attitude-‘’

‘’And I’m getting really tired of having you monitoring me like CCTV every day,’’ Jamie snapped.

Delarosa put his tan hands up in mock-surrender, ‘’alright, alright,’’ he said, ‘’I’m just here to give you this,’’ he bent down again and then straightened, extending a backpack towards Jamie.

The blond boy frowned but closed his hand around one of the straps, ‘’the hell’s this?’’ Delarosa let go and Jamie yelped as the sudden weight of the pack yanked his arm down, ‘’what did you fill it with, rocks?’’ he asked, lifting the backpack with both hands.

‘’Chains.’’

‘’Come again?’’

‘’Look,’’ Delarosa leaned back against his car, ‘’tomorrow is the full moon and us wolves...shit, I don’t know how to explain this to you. Basically we become very...instinctive. We listen to our gut feeling rather than reason. And there’s two things we want to do when the full moon is out,’’ he looked Jamie straight in the eye, crossing his powerful arms over his chest, ‘’run, and breed.’’

‘’Shit,’’ Jamie said softly, ‘’you better fucking run, then. Far away from me, preferably.’’

‘’I will attempt just that,’’ Delarosa motioned to the pack, ‘’but if things go south, you have the chains.’’

‘’And what the hell am I supposed to do with them? Tie you up?’’

‘’Precisely.’’

Jamie gave him a blank look, ‘’you don’t even know where I live,’’ he wasn’t going to mention that he literally lived on top of the building in front of them.

‘’I’ll be able to find you easily by your scent, especially if I’m in my wolf form,’’ Delarosa said, clearly slightly irritated, ‘’the chains are laced with hemlock; it will prevent me from changing and it will put a damper on my strength, if you manage to get them on me.’’

‘’Jesus Christ,’’ Jamie extended the pack back towards the cop violently, ‘’just tie yourself up.’’

‘’Can’t,’’ Delarosa pushed himself off his car, ‘’I have a night shift at the station tomorrow. Wolves have just come out of the wolf district; it be kinda shitty to prove that what we are prevents us from functioning like humans.’’

‘’But it does.’’

Delarosa flinched. Actually flinched, ‘’not for me,’’ he said, voice hard, ‘’my wolf isn’t going to fuck anything up for me. So just make sure you have the chains at hand, alright?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Jamie said, weary of the sudden outburst of anger, ‘’alright.’’

Delarosa paused and sighed, as if realising his anger had gotten the better of him. He ran a hand through his dark hair, ‘’good night,’’ he said eventually in a quiet, dejected voice.

‘’Yeah,’’ Jamie repeated, backing away. He took the pack with him, ‘’don’t stalk me anymore,’’ he added and slipped into the building. He locked the doors behind him and half-ran through the empty, dark coffee shop. He felt weird – Delarosa made him feel strange. Jamie didn’t know how to describe the feeling so he didn’t try to – instead he ran up the stairs and out through the fire exit on the second floor, up the twisting metal stairs attached to the side of the building and all the way to the top.

The night was chilly but Jamie used the outdoor shower, like the ones you got on the beach, anyway, letting the freezing water (they could never heat it up) run over his naked body. The others who lived in the apartment used it too and in the winter it was a real bitch. Shivering, Jamie cut the water flow and ran across the roof to his little hut, which used to be some kind of maintenance shed. It was tiny but it was home – more of a home than Jamie ever thought he’d have, though now he worried about Diego Delarosa and how easy it would be for him to get inside. He slipped into the shed, dropped the backpack on the floor, found his towel and patted himself dry. In the light of the moon falling through the single, tiny window, Jamie found his old, too small Superman PJs and shuffled into them before collapsing onto the old mattress Raphael helped him drag up into the hut one summer. It was filled with blankets and pillows that kept Jamie relatively warm at night, though it got tough during winter.

Jamie patted around, brushing away empty crisp packets that he hadn’t had the time to toss away till he found the switch to the fairy-lights running around the length of the room. The little hut was flooded with colourful, twinkling lights. Batteries were one of the few luxuries Jamie saved up for. He hated sitting by himself in the dark. He reached out, not bothering to get up, narrowly avoiding the stack of old books he’d salvaged from some garage sale that he never had time to read, the water bottle he filled up each morning and the cardboard box that served as his desk till he reached the teddy bear in the corner. It had been nearly as big as he was when he ran away at twelve. His grandmother had given it to him and, intelligently, it was the only thing he had taken with him. No money and no food, just the stupid teddy bear, one ear now missing, spilling stuffing. Still, Jamie couldn’t bear to part with it.

‘’C’mere, Little Jamie,’’ he mumbled, sleepy from the day of work and fun. He curled around Little Jamie, pulled covers on top of him and turned on the small portable heater he had saved up for one particularly bad winter. It was old and rusty and even with batteries, it was hardly reliable. Now it didn’t start. Jamie groaned and slammed his fist atop it. Finally it rumbled to life, blowing hot air in his face. Jamie closed his eyes and went to sleep.

The rumble of the heater at least filled the horrible silence.


	5. The First Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiii! Thanks everyone for supporting this new fic! It means the world. 
> 
> Dragonstone2017 - yays, thanks for subscribing! Ahhh, I was wondering if I should make this mpreg, but I didn't want to make it too similar to Hyndestane Kings Never Die so I figured I'd take a different approach - sorry to dissapoint! But thank you so much for your review darling <3 
> 
> Xiennary123 - hahaha you can be in charge of the Gus protection squad xD hehe I hope I don't dissapoint with the first full moon! Thank you for reviewing my love! <3

The moon was a round, bright shape on the sky and the fights were brimming.

Val wrapped leather straps over her knuckles over and over, scanning the crowds, pin pointing possible opponents that would rise up. There was the guy whose jaw she broke last week; and the girl who had lost to Val three times in a row. Val braced herself, finishing tying the straps – tonight, half the room was out to kill her. She wasn’t going to let that happen – she never did. She stood from where she sat on one of the overturned crates on the damp floor of the underground fighting space, fashioned in one of the old train stations under the city. People sat on anything and everything they could get their hands on – many stood. The fighting pit was literally the track space between the two platforms, no longer under electricity. Sometimes it got flooded and you had to fight in disgusting, ankle-deep muck – now the tracks were relatively dry but treacherous all the same. People were flocking from the makeshift bar propped up a little way down the platform, glancing up at the old-fashioned train times that had once upon a time been displayed. The device didn’t work again and instead it was now taped-over with a large piece of paper, on which the fights were written with sharpie.

  1. Lacy VS F. Wayne



Val rolled her shoulders, glistening with sweat from the close press of the crowds and the adrenaline, and cracked her neck. The crowds cheered as she jumped onto the train tracks, landing neatly on the dull metal. A moment later F. Wayne followed her into the fighting pit. She was a small girl, around Val’s own age, undoubtedly quick and sharply vicious. They were more or less the same seize, except Val was taller – even chances would make the fight all the more hard.

Up on the platform, Tori flicked her thick curtain of braids over her shoulder her unblemished dark skin dotted with band aids. She put the mic to her lips as she raised an arm and the crowd roared before settling, ‘’listen up scumbags, today we have V. Lacy, triple underground champion, undefeated for the last two weeks!’’ the crowd roared once more and Val pumped her fist in the air twice, giving Wayne a low, feral grin, ‘’and then we have F. Wayne, new to the fights but eager to shed blood!’’ more roars and stomping that got dust cascading down on heads, ‘’the win is fifty quid and bets have now finished! Fighters,’’ Tori gave both a smirk, ‘’ready, set!’’ Val lowered her shoulders and positioned herself in a defensive position. From experienced, the newbies usually tried to ram into you head-on, ‘’fight!’’

As predicted Wayne charged for her but in the last moment veered to the side; Val barely caught her ankle as she aimed a kick at the sensitive muscle in her thigh. _Intelligent_ , Val noted as she shoved Wayne away by her ankle, hoping to unbalance her. Wayne stumbled but remained upright and Val shifted into her usual mindset.

 _Fifty quid_ , she told herself as she aimed a punch at Wayne’s face, _what can you get with that?_

Wayne avoided the first punch but caught the second one with her jaw and stumbled back, giving Val a toothy, angry growl, blood oozing down her chin. Val remained calm, calculating, keeping her eye on the girl as she zapped towards her at incredible speed.

_One – forty quid for her rent this week._

Wayne tackled Val which was exactly what the girl had wanted. They went down, Wayne crashing down on top of her. Despite the breath being knocked out of her by the impact, Val wrapped her legs around the girl, seeing surprise flicker across her face at the realisation that Val wasn’t trying to get out of her grip. In the next instance Val had them flipped backwards, her legs around Wayne stopping the other fighter from pulling free. Val was now atop her and as she delivered the first punch to Wayne’s face, she continued her mental list.

_Two – new coat for the winter for a fiver, if she was lucky enough to hunt one down in a charity shop_

Punch. Punch. Punch. Punch. One after the other, fast as lightning, Val’s fist hailed on Wayne’s face. The other girl’s head lolled and Val made a mistake – she relaxed, slowed, thinking Wayne was done. A rookie mistake. The next thing she knew Val was on her back, the train tracks digging into her spine and the first punch from the girl was delivered. Val’s head snapped to the side but Wayne was slighter than her, and had less strength in her fists.

_Three – four fifty for instant noodles. She could buy enough to last her five days._

Val grabbed the wrist of Wayne’s dominant hand as it punched her again, splitting her lip. She saw panic flicker in Wayne’s eyes as Val tightened her grip. Val squeezed even tighter.

_Four – fifty pence for a lollipop._

Wayne cried out, low and guttural, as Val squeezed her wrist even harder and something cracked. Wayne slammed her hand into Val’s chest weakly, trying desperately to make her stop. Val raised her leg to kick the girl off...

And Wayne’s cries grew high pitched as suddenly a hand fisted in her hair and yanked her off Val. Valentina sat up, shocked, as Wayne sailed across the train tracks and landed a few metres down. The crowd went silent as a graveyard. Val, breathing hard, stared up at the woman that now separated her from Wayne. She didn’t see much, because the woman had her back to her, shoulders heaving, a thick waterfall of bright red hair falling down her back. The silence was broken by Tori’s outraged cry magnified by the microphone, ‘’DISQUALIFIED!’’

Val swore quietly under her breath but before she could argue with the host that she hadn’t organised the red haired woman jumping in to help her, a commotion started in the leftmost corner of the train station, followed by panicked shouts, ‘’raid! RAID!’’

The crowd dispersed in minutes. The makeshift bar was folded up; people were running. Tori was unplugging her mic and legging it through one of the abandoned staircases – Wayne was nowhere to be seen as police officers spilled into the train station. Val scrambled up – and suddenly the red haired woman was right in front of her, blue eyes wide, her mouth a slash of red. She was drop-dead gorgeous, Val realised, right before she grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards a staircase. Val had no choice but to follow her as the crowd pushed forward from all sides. The woman held onto Val’s wrist and as they broke out into the dark street above, Val realised that she had no idea why the woman was yanking her alone.

Still, she did not let go of Val’s wrist. The redhead ran away from the station in – kudos to her – heels, pulling Val as far away from the cops as she could. As they flew into a dodgy, dark alley between a closed Tesco Express and a grey-brick apartment building, Val managed to pant out, ‘’slow down!’’

The woman stopped all-together and Val leaned against the wall, breathing hard. The redhead didn’t seem at all bothered by the run, despite being in heels and all, ‘’thanks for nothing,’’ Val snarled, ‘’I would have won that,’’ she rubbed her exposed arms – her leather jacket remained in the underground station. She would have to go back for it when it got safe, ‘’the hell was all that about, anyway? Who are you?’’

Noticing her hand, the redhead shrugged off her own jacket, part of the two-piece suit she wore – a business woman? She extended it towards Val, ‘’mate,’’ she said simply, eyes flashing gold.

Val’s eyes widened, ‘’what did you just say?’’

The woman’s eyes remained bright gold, ‘’you are my mate,’’ she said levelly, her voice melodic and thick with what sounded like a Russian accent, ‘’my _suzhdeno_.’’

‘’Oh, no,’’ Val shook her head, desperately looking either way down the alley. She had to pick a direction to run in and fast, ‘’no, no, no, whatever you’re thinking-‘’

Val flinched as the redhead suddenly slammed her hands on either side of her and brought her face very close to Val’s, ‘’mate,’’ she breathed, blue-turned-gold eyes burning.

Val connected the facts. The woman jumping into the fight, grabbing her and pulling her away from the crowd, and now this... ‘’you’re not thinking straight,’’ Val said slowly, hoping that whatever instinct was clouding the woman’s judgement would release her soon, ‘’it’s the full moon. It’s-‘’

The rest of Val’s sentence came out as a surprised muffle as the woman’s bright red lips were suddenly one her own, rough and hardly controlled. Val’s hand moved all by itself. In one instance it was fisted at her side; in the next it made contact with the redhead’s face and the woman was sent sprawling onto the ground.

Unsure if the werewolf was conscious or not, Val ran.

*~*~*

Gideon watched as a wolf skilfully climbed up the last building of Bay Street. He hung back. It was the full moon and every inch of his body was howling with the need to see his mate – he had gone on a run in wolf form, and after shifting back he realised he was in front of the apartment where his mate lived. Gideon had been a werewolf since he was three years old and he could control himself. So he crouched behind a car parked out front, anxious not to make enemies with wolves since he didn’t have a pack yet. Only once the wolf disappeared atop the roof did Gideon slink the way the wolf had gone, climbing skilfully up the building till he reached the window. He could smell his mate even through brick and glass – an alluring, sunny scent of the sea and sweet, fizzy drinks. A strange combination that Gideon found himself craving.

He undid the hatch to the room with skilfully fingers and slipped inside, landing soundlessly on the floor. He glanced around the room with eyes burning gold. There were two beds, and one was empty – his mate slept in the other, stretched out deliciously, frowning lightly in his sleep. Gideon padded over, completely naked, having discarded his clothes before shifting into wolf form. He knelt down by his mate and peered at his sleeping face. Tan skin scattered with freckles, the crooked nose, broken a couple of times, eyes fluttering behind closed lids, mouth pinched tightly. His mate was having a nightmare but even so, Gideon did not dare to wake him. He didn’t remember trivial stuff, like that the boy had robbed him. He put a reign on his instinct to climb atop the boy and take him.

 _He doesn’t know you_ , the rational part of his mind which had managed to gain ground with his instincts over the hundreds of full moons in his life said, _you’ll just scare him. He doesn’t even know he has a mate_. So Gideon controlled himself, allowing himself to brush his nose against the boy’s gently and then to kiss the tip of it affectionately. His ears pricked as he heard someone coming up the stairs and the lingering scent of a female intensified – the owner of the other bed was coming back. _Go_ , he told himself, _go now_. Gideon took one last look at his mate and pressed a kiss to the grove by his brow where he was frowning in his sleep before slipping out of the window, every inch of his screaming to get back to his mate, as Val ran into the room.

*~*~*  


Jamie woke up because of two things.

One, the goddamned heater turned off again and his little hut was freezing.

Two, the silence was broken up by quiet breathing that didn’t match his own.

Jamie’s blue eyes snapped open and he gasped as he was met with the burning, golden gaze of Diego Delarosa, ‘’oh shit,’’ he whispered, fear locking up his muscles. Delarosa hovered above him, the only thing separating their bodies being the blankets tossed atop Jamie that Delarosa now grabbed. Jamie grabbed it, too, holding on desperately, ‘’no-‘’

Delarosa ripped the blanket away, revealing Jamie in his too-small superman PJs. He sighed, content, as if he was studying a painting in an art gallery, before diving down. He grabbed Jamie’s legs and spread them, shuffling in between. Jamie yelped, high pitched, when Delarosa thrust his clothes hard-on against Jamie’s crotch. He shoved helplessly against Delarosa’s broad shoulders, ‘’wait...! Wait!’’ he looked around desperately as Delarosa continued to thrust his hips against Jamie’s, knowing full well that soon he’d try and get rid of the clothing barrier. Jamie’s eyes fell on the chains, folded in the corner where he had dropped them the previous night. He had to get them – and fast.

Using the element of surprised, Jamie shoved his entire body weight against Delarosa and they swung backwards, till Delarosa was sitting and Jamie was in his lap. Jamie let the cop wrap his arms around his waist and nuzzle his nose into his neck and he reached past him. His fingertips skimmed the air around the chains but as he reached out as far as he could, Delarosa slid his warm hands under Jamie’s night shirt, to press against his chilled skin. Jamie yelped again, retracting his hand and swatting at Delarosa’s hands, ‘no! Stop it! Bad wolf!’’

‘’Jamie,’’ Delarosa whispered in reply, his voice soft and sensual, so different to how he usually spoke. He pulled at Jamie’s shirt. Jamie shifted, relenting one arm. He put it in the air and Delarosa began sliding his shirt off while the other arm reached for the chains. Jamie was so, so close to reaching them... ‘’Jamie,’’ Delarosa said again, more demanding, and he grabbed his arm gently to pull his t-shirt off, taking it away from the chains to which he was paying no attention. Jamie grabbed the shirt.

‘’I’m going to put this away,’’ he said, and his voice trembled. Delarosa growled – actually _growled_ – and grabbed Jamie’s hips,  ‘’j-just a second...’’ Jamie said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice and he scrambled away from Delarosa, making a show of folding up his night shirt. Delarosa looked like he was going to spring at any moment, eyes following every movement Jamie made, ‘’sit there,’’ Jamie pointed against one of the poles holding up the whole structure of the hut, ‘’go on,’’ he put the shirt down and when Delarosa obediently shuffled backwards to lean against the poles, he lunged for the chains. His hands made contact and they shrieked loudly as he picked them up but, by some strange stroke of luck, Delarosa didn’t react, his eyes once again glued to Jamie’s face. Jamie slid forward towards him, the chains clanking, and Delarosa pulled him back into his lap.

‘’Jamie,’’ he whispered in awe, cupping his face with a warm hand, ‘’so beautiful...’’

Jamie blushed in surprise, ‘’u-um...sure, whatever you say...’’ he let Delarosa stroke his face as he slowly moved the chains, pulling them around the pole. The chains were shot and ended with two metal handcuffs, long and wide like gauntlets, ‘’um...D-Diego...’’ Jamie licked his lips nervously, ‘’put your hands down. I want to touch you now.’’

‘’Jamie...’’ Delarosa almost pleaded, hands tightening on his face.

‘’Come on, do it,’’ Jamie said as softly as he could, ‘’just for a bit. Then you can touch me again,’’ he lied. Whatever the full moon was doing to Delarosa...it was taking away all rational thought, leaving behind only his desire. After a moment of hesitation, Delarosa dropped his hands. Jamie took his opportunity.

The shackles slammed shut on Delarosa’s wrists and Jamie scrambled back.

Delarosa yanked on the chains immediately, so hard Jamie winced, his golden eyes flashing with shock and anger. Jamie scrambled up and ran towards the doors – he was stopped dead in his tracks by Delarosa’s furious growl followed by a yank of arms so powerful the column to which Delarosa was shackled shook, followed by the entire structure of his hut. Jamie whirled around, ‘’stop that!’’

‘’Jamie...’’ his name was nothing but a grunt on Delarosa’s lips.

‘’Okay, okay!’’ Jamie sank back to the floor and crawled over to his bed. If he left Delarosa alone, the wolf would bring down the hut – the only home Jamie had. The blond boy pressed himself into the wall at the corner of the mattress as far as he could go. He snatched up Little Jamie, wrapping his arms around him for courage. Delarosa stared at him with burning eyes, but at least he had calmed down. Jamie watched him cautiously over Little Jamie’s fur.

Neither was going to sleep that night.

*~*~*  


Raphael was bone-tired.

After a long day at the tattoo parlour, he and Art had worked their butts off at the Crypt. It was well past midnight when Raphael finally found his way into the old, creaky apartment building which he rented out. He trailed up the hazardous metal stairs to his apartment and opened the rusty lock. He slipped inside as quietly as possible. The apartment was dark. The kitchen, into which the apartment doors opened, was quiet and tiny as ever. There were three doors coming off it, one cupped by a blossom of mould. The bathroom, and two bedrooms, as tiny as the other rooms in the run down but cheap apartment. The gap between the floor and Carmelo’s doors was dark – Raphael’s little brother was asleep. Too tired to even try and dig out something to eat so late at night, Raphael slipped into his own room.

And stopped dead when he saw someone spread out on the tiny bed in the corner of the room.

‘’Fritz?’’ Raphael asked, kicking the doors shut gently; then his eyes widened when Fritz turned his head, golden eyes shining, ‘’shit, are you hurt?’’ Raphael hurried over to the boy splayed on his bed. He sat down and reached for Fritz at the same time as the boy grabbed Raphael by the front of his shirt and pulled him down, ‘’whoa, what the-‘’ Raphael blinked, face-to-face with his pillow as Fritz wrapped his arms around his neck and his legs around his hips. Raphael’s eyes widened – he had forgotten about the full moon Fritz had warned him about.

Fritz thrust his hips up, ‘’Raphael,’’ he growled in a needy, rough voice. Raphael racked his brain for a way out of the situation. Fritz was half his size; he could fight him off, probably, if he... ‘’Raphael...fuck me...’’

Raphael chocked on air and pulled back, ‘’what!?’’ he stared down at Fritz, spread out beneath him, breathing hard, golden eyes glassy, pale cheeks flushed. The image went straight down to his groin, ‘’oh my god, you’re a bottom!’’ he gasped in realisation and scrambled off the bed, ‘’and I’m not gay!’’ he said, as much to Fritz as to his bulge.

Fritz followed him across the room, ‘’Raphael...’’

‘’No. Nope, no, we’re not having sex,’’ Raphael said, getting his bearings.

‘’I want to,’’ Fritz’s voice was gruff, soft.

‘’No, the full moon makes you think you want to,’’ Raphael fired back, ‘’you’ll thank me for this later,’’ he surged towards Fritz and grabbed his around the waist, throwing him easily over his shoulder. He kicked his doors open and walked across the kitchen, into the bathroom. He set Fritz down in the tiny, windowless room. Fritz didn’t realise what was going on until Raphael released him fully and took a step back, slamming the doors shut and locking them.

‘’Raphael?’’ came Fritz’s husky, confused voice.

‘’You’re going to stay in there until dawn,’’ Raphael said, ‘’sorry but I don’t want you to do anything we’ll both regret.’’

Raphael hadn’t exactly expected Fritz to accept that but he jumped back in shock when Fritz slammed his foot into the door angrily, ‘’open the doors!’’ he yelled, slamming his fist into the doors repeatedly.

‘’You’ll hurt yourself!’’ Raphael called, ‘’just sit down and try to calm down.’’

‘’Fuck you!’’ Fritz roared, ‘’fuck you, you fucking...’’ his voice choked up, ‘’Raphael, please. _Please_. I want you. I need you.’’

The doors to Carmelo’s doors opened and the sleepy boy stepped out, as dark haired and tattooed as his older brother, ‘’Raph, what’s going on?’’

Raphael slid dejectedly down the wall to sit by the doors to the bathroom, ‘’my mate,’’ he said glumly. Carmelo knew, of course, about Fritz – but neither had expected him to go completely berserk during the full moon.

‘’Is he...alright?’’ Carmelo winced when Fritz kicked the doors again.

Raphael shrugged, ‘’go back to your room. Try to sleep. I’ll take care of this.’’ His little brother gave an unconvinced nod and retreated into his bedroom, ‘’quit trying to break the doors down, Fritz,’’ Raphael called, fatigue, his reaction to Fritz and the situation in general making him irritated.

Fritz’s moon-induced pleas eventually made Raphael fall asleep against the wall.

When he awoke again it was morning.

The lock to the bathroom had been broken and Fritz was gone.

*~*~*  


Diego blinked a couple of times.

He felt like he had been sleeping but being a born wolf, he knew that wasn’t the case – he knew he had gotten through the full moon.

And, realising he was tied up in what looked like a tool shed, he knew he fucked up big time.

He glanced around the room, and the hoards of objects, and the fairy-lights flickering weakly, and then, finally, at Jamie, curled protectively as far away from Diego as possible, clutching a teddy bear. Diego’s heart contracted at the sight of his mate like that...so...afraid, ‘’Jamie?’’ he said softly, ‘’are you okay?’’

Jamie raised his head, very slowly, messy, wavy blond hair falling in his eyes – those blue eyes that stared at Diego with distrust and fear, even though his eyes were back to brown. Diego’s wrists ached from where he had pulled on the chains, but thankfully they had held. He cursed himself for not thinking of a better solution, wondering just how scary he was during the night. Jamie clearly hadn’t slept, ‘’Jamie, you can untie me now,’’ Diego murmured, placating, ‘’I’m fine now.’’

Jamie made no move to get up.

‘’I’m sorry,’’ Diego whispered, guilt weighing down on him heavily, ‘’for everything that I’ve done tonight. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just-‘’

‘’You tried to have sex with me,’’ Jamie snarled protectively.

‘’Yeah,’’ Diego swallowed thickly, ‘’that...happens. It’s just my instinct, because you’re my mate. I’m sorry. I am. Really.’’

‘’You nearly brought down the whole thing on top of our heads,’’ Jamie gestured stiffly to the hut.

‘’You...live here?’’ Diego frowned, ‘’is that even legal?’’

Jamie snarled at him again, ‘’quit playing the good cop, you fucking psychopath.’’

‘’I’m not-‘’

‘’Oh, that’s right. You’re just a wolf. That’s _worse_ ,’’ Jamie stood abruptly and marched over to Diego, using the key that had been supplied along the chains to undo the shackles. As soon as that was done, Jamie scrambled back. It hurt Diego to see his mate so afraid of him, ‘’get out.’’

‘’Jamie,’’ Diego sighed, and stood, ‘’we’re mates. There’s no point fighting this.’’

‘’Right, sorry, let me just take my clothes off right now. Do you want me on the mattress or against the wall?’’ he said sarcastically, voice high with emotion he had contained all night.

Diego flinched, ‘’I didn’t mean _that_...I just want to get to know you-‘’

‘’Well I _don’t_!’’ Jamie yelled, ‘’I’m not into guys, I’m not into cops and I’m not into possessive werewolves who can’t control themselves!’’

A heavy silence descended upon them – Jamie was breathing hard, fuming.

‘’I’m sorry,’’ Diego whispered, at loss of what to say.

‘’Just get out,’’ Jamie said in a choked voice. Diego looked like he desperately wanted to argue, but he instead just bent down to pick up the chains, ‘’leave those,’’ Jamie said quickly, wrapping his arms around his bare chest protectively, ‘’I don’t trust you not to...come back.’’

With each word, no matter how true, Diego felt like he’d been punched, but he obediently dropped the chains, ‘’I’m sorry, Jamie,’’ he whispered one more time, ‘’I’ll make it up to you,’’ he promised, before Jamie could protest, and went for the doors, slipping out and away.

Jamie slumped to the floor, shaking.

*~*~*  


‘’Mihael!’’

Buster smiled brightly at his aunt, taking his shoes off as he walked into the room she rented from an elderly lady who lived upstairs, ‘’hi, Carolyn,’’ Buster beamed at her, ‘’I picked this up for you,’’ he padded over to where she sat propped up on the bed and passed her a book.

‘’Oh, darling, you didn’t have to,’’ Carolyn reached for her nephew and kissed his cheek.

‘’How do you feel?’’

‘’Good. Better,’’ Carolyn assured, cradling the book in her hands. The room didn’t have much furniture but Buster made sure it was welcoming – he collected flowers to put in glasses around the room in the spring and summer, he nicked pictures and paintings to put up on the wall and made sure his aunt was comfortable.

‘’What did the doctor say this week?’’

‘’Nothing much,’’ Carolyn shrugged her thin shoulders, ‘’same as always.’’

‘’So how do you know you’re doing better?’’

‘’I can feel it?’’ Carolyn winked one brown eye at him.

Buster gave her a smile. Carolyn was his only living relative, the sister of his mother whom they hadn’t seen since Buster’s birth – the person who had been raising him since he had been sent away from Germany after the death of his father when he was eleven. He owed everything to her, ‘’oh, here,’’ he dug in his pocket and produced a small stack of bills, ‘’rent for this month.’’

Carolyn’s face fell, ‘’Mickey-‘’

‘’Don’t,’’ Buster said quickly, ‘’your insurance barely covers your meds.’’

Carolyn sighed, ‘’I’m sorry-‘’

‘’Caro, we’ve talked about this,’’ Buster stood, ‘’I never said sorry when you had to raise me through my rebellious stage. You don’t have to say sorry now,’’ he walked over to the small kitchen area he had set up a year prior, ‘’let me make us something to eat. I brought groceries!’’

Carolyn watched her nephew bustle around with a warm smile, ‘’got a job yet?’’

‘’I always have a job,’’ Buster said, ‘’or multiple. I make do. I’m bussing tables today. It’s fun.’’

‘’It’s hard.’’

‘’Nah,’’ Buster lied, ‘’how are things here? Aren’t you bored?’’

‘’I bribed the land lady to give me her newspapers when she’s done with them and I have the books you bring me,’’ Carolyn assured, ‘’by the way, have you heard that they opened the wolf reservoir?’’

‘’Hm? Oh, yeah.’’

‘’Apparently the wolves are taking human mates,’’ Carolyn mused, cutting Buster a sly glance, ‘’you don’t have one, do you, Mickey?’’

Buster snorted, ‘’nah,’’ he said, ‘’thankfully.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya so I've been thinking of a new fic...cause I suck like that?   
> Anyway it would be based on a werewolf (see a pattern here?) tradition of claiming human mates and changing them & then keeping them in one house to educate them about the whole wolf thing & how they're supposed to breed children etc - basically very outdated & shit. And I'd have 4 werewolves vs 4 badass humans who don't take their shit and I just thought it'd be fun to write? & it would have mpreg which y'all seem to love xD It sounds kind of similar to this but the premise would actually be very different so yeah...
> 
> lemme know what y'all think?


	6. Cadet Alex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your support guys, it means the world!! Especially xiennary123, salazar5631, SakusaKiyoomi, chickie434 & LydiaCassie - you guys are the BOMB. Enjoy!

Despite what had happened during the full moon, Diego Delarosa remained parked in front of the coffee shop. So on one particularly grey, drab September Saturday morning, Jamie was moody. There were more customers than usual – the university had finally opened for the year and the first years were busy exploring the area, quickly finding the most instagramable joints and the most run down, dodgy places that they could use to pretend they led more interesting, dark lives than they did in reality. Their constant chatter and laughter gritted on Jamie; he preferred when the coffee shop was simply filled with comatose regulars, whom the onslaught of students seemed to keep at bay. Jamie sighed, pouring lattes into tall, chipped glasses. The rush would quiet down after a few weeks, at least, but the crypt would remain abnormally packed until at least after Christmas. The rusty bell above the doors chimed for the sixth time in the past ten minutes and Jamie groaned internally, ‘’don’t you all sleep this early on a Saturday?’’ he grumbled to himself, looking up.

His train of thought slammed into a wall and went off-course.

Jamie blinked at the man that had just come in – well, more like a boy, really, around Raphael’s age. He was the most stunning man Jamie had ever seen and he never called anyone ‘stunning’, not even girls. Golden superman-hair, tan skin, a strong nose and muscular arms, friendly green eyes and a mouth sculpted by the gods, set in a perpetual half-smile. The boy wore cargo pants and a white t-shirt, like the drabness of the weather didn’t affect him; a dog tag hung on a silver chain around his neck. He approached the counter casually, hands in pockets, and Jamie smacked his lips shut, blinking away the shock of the stranger’s beauty. All around him, the students raiding the coffee shop stopped to stare but the boy didn’t seems fazed, like he was used to it. The smile on his lips grew to a friendly grin as the boy stopped in front of Jamie and gave a friendly nod, ‘’hey,’’ he said in a faint America accent, his voice drawly and musical, ‘’can I get black coffee, for takeout?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Jamie swallowed quickly and grabbed a paper cup.

In that instance the beaded curtain leading upstairs parted and a sleepy-looking Gus walked in, in a too-big jumper and short, bare-footed. The stranger froze over and Gus didn’t notice him, brushing back his brown hair and yawning, ‘’hey, Jamie, can I get an herbal tea? I need to wake up.’’

‘’Sure thing, G-‘’

‘’Mate.’’

All three froze at the word that suddenly fell from the stranger’s lips and hung between them. Jamie whirled around to face him; Gus took his time turning, terror and shock glistening in his eyes, mouth slightly open. The stranger exhaled, ‘’gosh, s-sorry, that was...’’ the stranger gaped at Gus, ‘’but...mate!’’

‘’Um...’’

The stranger saw Gus take a step back and reached out, ‘’wait-‘’

‘’Forget the tea,’’ Gus squeaked and turned to sprint through the beaded curtain.

The stranger automatically braced himself as if to run after him...and Jamie launched himself over the counter and between the stranger and Gus, ‘’hell no!’’ he said.

‘’O-oh...’’ the stranger faltered, ‘’sorry,’’ he said again, ‘’I-I just...what’s your name?’’ Gus had stopped at the curtains, and now hovered there uncertainly. The stranger made no move to get past Jamie’s outstretched arm, ‘’I’m Alex,’’ he offered feebly, ‘’Alex Dancy.’’

For a moment, Gus said nothing. He hovered in the doorway, one arm stretched through the beads, ready to bolt. Finally, without turning, he whispered, ‘’Gus,’’ and disappeared.

Alex’s entire body sagged with relief. Jamie watched curiously as he smiled downright like a prince charming, eyes softening as if Gus still stood in the doorway, ‘’Gus...’’ he echoed fondly.

‘’Um, alright, Superman,’’ Jamie took his elbow, both forgetting all about the coffee, ‘’I think you should go.’’

‘’Okay,’’ Alex sounded a little disappointed but at the same time distracted as he glanced over his shoulder one more time at the doorway. Jamie was surprised – for a wolf, Alex was surprisingly...compliant. Jamie kind of liked him for it – a certain persistent cop could learn a thing or two from him, ‘’um...and you are?’’

Jamie led him out of the coffee shop but stopped in front of it, still holding Alex’s elbow, the question surprising him, ‘’Jamie,’’ he said.

Alex smiled brighter, ‘’do you have Gus’ number, Jamie?’’

‘’He doesn’t have a phone,’’ Jamie said, ‘’sorry,’’ he added and frowned. Where had that come from? He _never_ apologised.

‘’That’s alright,’’ Alex put his hands in his pockets again and Jamie finally let go of his elbow, ‘’is it alright if...I come around sometime?’’

Jamie chewed his lip; why the hell was he even considering it!? ‘’that’s...not a great idea. We don’t have a good history with wolves and mates.’’

‘’Oh?’’

Jamie jabbed a finger at the building, ‘’our friend got kidnapped by his last month, mine follows me around like a stalker and one just happens to be our landlord _and_ teacher.’’ Why the hell was Jamie telling him all that? Damn Alex and his beautiful, radiant smile.

Which he now offered to the younger boy, ‘’I can see how that could be a problem,’’ he dipped his head in farewell, ‘’I’ll think of a better alternative. Nice meeting you.’’

‘’Uh...yeah...’’ Jamie felt a little big stunned by Alex’s radiant presence and suddenly found himself kind of lost as Alex walked away. He really didn’t know how to deal with people _that_ positive, ‘’the hell?’’ he muttered to himself and slipped back into the coffee shop.

*~*~*

Alex walked down the street, hands in pockets, feeling as if he’d been hit by a hammer in the head.

A beautiful, tiny hammer named Gus.

 _I have a mate_ , he thought in disbelief.

He was pulled out of his bubble of ‘happy’ by a sudden voice, coming from a police car pulling up next to him on the street, ‘’oi,’’ came a low, dark voice, a growl, really, that made Alex realise he was speaking to a wolf, who now peered at him from the open window, ‘’who the hell were you talking to just now?’’

Alex blinked and stopped; so did the car, ‘’Jamie?’’

‘’Yeah. Why was he touching you?’’

Alex blinked again and realisation flashed in his green eyes, ‘’oh! You’re the stalking mate he told me about!’’

This time, the officer blinked, ‘’he mentioned me?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Alex said brightly, turning to him, ‘’I’m Alex Dancy. Beta. You?’’

The officer hesitated, ‘’Diego Delarosa. Alpha.’’

Alex nodded, ‘’don’t worry, by the way. About Jamie. I just met him...’’ he sighed dreamily, ‘’and I met my mate.’’

‘’Oh-oh,’’ Diego said, ‘’that lot is trouble. Which one was it?’’

‘’The little one. Dark hair, dark eyes. Oversized sweater,’’ he motioned to his shoulder, ‘’bout this tall.’’

‘’Ah. He seems harmless,’’ Diego sighed, ‘’I am, unfortunately, stuck with a real piece of work,’’ though he didn’t seem very unfortunate.

Alex hesitated, ‘’Diego...can I call you Diego? You got a pack yet?’’

Diego shook his head, ‘’just got here last month. Haven’t had time to look.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Alex brightened, and walked around the car, ‘’I just graduated from the military academy in the wolf district, so same,’’ Diego stared in surprise as Alex slid into the passenger’s seat of his car.

‘’What are you doing?’’

‘’You’re the first wolf I’ve met,’’ Alex announced, doing his seatbelt. He motioned between them, ‘’come on, we’ve gotta get to know each other. I sense, Diego, that we will be great friends and this,’’ he grinned, ‘’is the beginning of the greatest pack in history.’’

*~*~*  


Art felt like he was setting a pattern in his life – namely, hanging back after class once every week to speak to Mr March. He now waited for everyone to file out – Buster wasn’t waiting for him, off to bus tables for the last couple days before the waitress who usually did it came back. Once the doors closed after the last of the community college students, Art approached the desk. Mr March clearly knew he was there, but he didn’t react as he sorted through his papers, until Art stopped next to him by his desk, ‘’um...sir?’’

Mr March set down his papers and stood; Art was pretty tall, but March still towered over him, ‘’how can I help you, Art?’’

Art steeled himself – he was never good at asking for things, ‘’y-you know about the buildi-ah!’’ his voice cut off with a yelp when, without a warning, Mr March bent down and nuzzled his nose just below Art’s ear, the faint skin-on-skin contact sending a shiver down the boy’s spine. Art inhaled sharply with surprise, overwhelmed by the pleasant smell of books and male cologne that clung faintly to his teacher, ‘’u-um...Mr March?’’

March pulled away sharply and Art caught the flash of gold in his eyes before they returned to their normal blue. The teacher gave him an apologetic smile, back to professional mode, ‘’pardon,’’ he said, ‘’you just smelled rather well.’’

‘’Huh?’’ Art blinked, ‘’like what?’’

March studied him for a moment, ‘’like apples,’’ he said finally, ‘’and shampoo and alcohol, although the latter is rather faint.’’

Art flushed ever so slightly at being so thoroughly examined, but stuffed his hands into the pockets of his frayed jeans and gave March an easy grin to cover up his embarrassment, ‘’that a wolf thing?’’

 ‘’Mate thing.’’

‘’Ah,’’ Art nodded, learning that the less he questioned it, the less he had to think about it,‘’well, my scent aside – I wanted to talk to you about the building.’’

‘’What building?’’

‘’The last building on Bay Street,’’ Art prompted, ‘’the one you own?’’

‘’Ah, yes.’’

‘’We got a second notice in the last three months that it’s a safety hazard and it’s going to be knocked down.’’

March nodded, beginning to gather his papers, ‘’I am aware; it is why I decide to settle here when I left the wolf district, amongst other reasons.’’

Art bit his lip, ‘’so, uh...you gonna do something about it?’’

‘’I don’t plan to, no.’’

Art blanched, ‘’what!?’’ he spluttered, ‘’but you’re the owner!’’

‘’And it’s much easier to let the council pay me back for the building,’’ March lifted his folders and papers into his arms, ‘’than to try and save something un-savable.’’

Art stared at him with his pale grey eyes, ‘’you can’t just give up on it!’’ Art protested, jumping in front of March before he could walk out, ‘’it’s our home!’’

‘’Find another,’’ March said, not unkindly, but indifferently.

Anger flooded Art’s system, ‘’jheez, are all wolves assholes, or is it just the ones who settle around this area?’’ he snapped.

March gave him a bemused look, ‘’you are overstepping, Arthur.’’

Art crumbled, just a little, ‘’please,’’ he said, ‘’this building is really important to me. We’re mates, aren’t we? Aren’t you supposed to, like, want to protect me or whatever?’’

Something dark and dangerous flashed in March’s regal blue eyes, right before they shuttered, ‘’you don’t get to bring up the mate thing whenever you feel like it,’’ he said in a low, quiet voice and another shiver went down Art’s spine, this one wholly other to the previous one.

‘’I...’’ Art didn’t know what to say and anger rose up again as a defence, ‘’well, what do you want me to say? You don’t care about the building-‘’

‘’So what makes you think I care about you?’’

The suddenly cold tone of March’s voice made Art flinch. He dropped his head, suddenly embarrassed about bringing up the mate thing in the first place, thinking it would give him leverage, when March had never acted on it – not once, ‘’I don’t know,’’ he whispered in a hoarse voice.

March sighed and opened his mouth to say something – but before he could, Art turned on his foot and stormed out of the classroom.

*~*~*

Raphael wasn’t sure what hit him but at one moment he was walking from the last building on Bay Street to his apartment and in the next he was pinned to the wall, his jumper fisted in Fritz’s fist. Raphael blinked in surprise at the small wolf, using his whole body weight to keep Raphael in place, ‘’...hey?’’

‘’Have you told anyone?’’ Fritz barked in an angry voice Raphael wasn’t used to.

‘’Told anyone about what?’’

Fritz lowered his voice to a low, grumbling rumble, ‘’about what happened...during the full moon...’’

‘’That you broke into my house?’’ Raphael relaxed, ‘’no, don’t worry. I wouldn’t. I don’t want cops chasing you down.’’

‘’That’s not the issue,’’ Fritz hissed, his fist tightening on Raphael’s jumper, ‘’have you told anyone that I...that I...’’

‘’That you _what_?’’ Raphael was growing impatient with his mate.

‘’That I tried to get you to fuck me’’ Fritz blurted quickly and angrily, like he hated hearing it.

Raphael gave him a look, ‘’it kind of didn’t come up in conversation,’’ he said bluntly.

Fritz relaxed and shoved himself off Raphael, ‘’good. Keep it that way.’’

But Raphael stepped towards him, ‘’what the hell is your problem today?’’ he demanded, ‘’why are you angry with me?’’

‘’I’m not,’’ Fritz started to back up from the alley.

‘’Fritz-‘’

‘’Look,’’ Fritz barked, ‘’if you tell anyone about what happened, I’ll fuck you up, mate or not mate, got it?’’

Raphael stared at him, at the way he looked around as if someone was listening, at the way he hunched his shoulders and breathed hard, ‘’what the _fuck_ are you panicking about?’’ he snapped.

But Fritz was already slipping into the shadows around the alley, ‘’just keep your mouth shut, Arevalo.’’

‘’Fritz!’’ Raphael yelled, ‘’Fritz!’’

But his mate was already gone.


	7. Weed Goes First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thank you all SO much for all the kudos, comments, views, bookmarks...literally, every bit of support makes me so much more motivated to write. So, honestly, you guys are the engine behind this story. 
> 
> Salazar5631 - once again, thank you so much for your review! It's nice to see that so many of you love the angst in the story xD BTW do you have a favourite pairing? Just curious :P *massive hug back* 
> 
> xiennary123 - I LOVE WHEN YOU COMMENT IN ALL CAPS ITS SO FUNNY I LOVE YOU YOU'RE THE GREATEST
> 
> Shirazia - hahah I feel you about the tiny phone thing xD Thank you so much for your review darling, it means the world <3
> 
> Masterdork0 - hi, hi, welcome! Hehe sorry I should have probably specified where the story is set, but there is no Bay Street in England to my knowledge, so I kind of didn't want to commit myself but then I started using pounds as currency so ya...it's set in England somewhere, sorry about the confusion xD Oh gosh, I didn't even think about where Alex's accent is from - thanks for pointing it out! I ended up watching a couple of videos on different American accents and I must say I really enjoy the Texas one, especially if it's not super strong, so that's what Alex has :p I added it to the story - thank you so much for pointing it out, I think it adds a tiny bit of depth to Alex. Also, please never apologise for going on a rant, I love rants! And I love hearing people's opinions so by all means, rant all you want - I'm grateful for all your rants!! :p

Jamie was afraid of very few things – police stations were one.

Walking out of the coffee shop and avoiding the Diego Delarosa parked out front was another.

‘’Shit man, just _go_ ,’’ Art said, watching Jamie stare determinedly at the doors for the nth time in the last half an hour, ‘’we’re running low. We need more coffee.’’ It was a drab September Saturday and Toby caught the cold; Art eagerly volunteered to take over his shift at the coffee shop, before Buster (who was doing a street dancing act with Raphael’s brother, Carmelo) or Raphael (who took on a couple shifts at the old people’s home a half hour bus ride away) could beat him to it. But watching Jamie get too scared to walk out of the front doors was as amusing as it was fatiguing – and, as usually on Saturday mornings, they had a steady flow of students demanding coffee which was running out rather quickly.

‘’What f he follows me?’’ Jamie asked uneasily, craning his neck to glare at the police car idling on the curb. It had been there since morning.

‘’Then lose him,’’ Art all but pulled the smaller boy from behind the bar, ‘’go on.’’

Jamie whirled on the spot, wavy blond hair smacking his pale cheek, ‘’you go.’’

‘’Jamie,’’ Art said levelly, putting his hands on his shoulders and peering into his eyes, ‘’we need to show these wolves that they can’t mess with us. That they don’t scare us,’’ he said slowly, ‘’so go get the damn coffee and be a boss about it.’’

Jamie exhaled, ‘’right. Okay.’’

‘’Okay,’’ Art slapped his back and pushed him towards the doors, ‘’go get ‘em, tiger.’’

Jamie cast Art one last worried look before walking out of the coffee shop. If it was up to him, he’d hole up in the apartment block for as long as the cop insisted on stalking him. He’d have to smoke him out if he wanted to talk. But rather than being just irritated with the constant attention of the older man, Jamie was now faintly afraid – during the full moon, he had been reminded that a beast lurked beneath that honey-gold skin. A beast that Jamie wasn’t sure he could protect himself from, not even with metal-studded Bertha, his death bat, in hand. But even so, Jamie steeled himself and walked out of the coffee shop. He speed walked down the street, as fast as he could – as soon as he reached the corner, he’d be safe from the prying eyes of the cop. As he walked, his shoulders relaxed.

There.

That wasn’t that hard.

‘’Hey.’’ Jamie jolted and sped up as Diego Delarosa pulled up very slowly along where Jamie was walking. Shit. Of course he had been spotted, ‘’where are you going? Need a lift?’’

‘’No,’’ Jamie kept his head down, and walked even faster. He was practically tripping over his feet at that point.

‘’Want to grab a coffee?’’

‘’Hate coffee.’’

There was a pause, as if the officer was noting that in his head, ‘’smoothies, then. Tea. I don’t know. Anything,’’ the car rumbled alongside Jamie on the pavement.

‘’I’m busy.’’

‘’Please. I want to talk about-‘’

‘’No need,’’ Jamie snapped – seeing his salvation. He turned sharply on the pavement and half-ran into an alleyway – it was a longer way to the grocery store, but at least it wouldn’t involve being shadowed by a cop car.

Diego watched him disappear in the gloom of the alley and sighed deeply.

*~*~*

Unlike most of his friends, Gus wanted to do something with himself. Art would, most likely, always dance in the Crypt or in one of the other clubs he sometimes worked at when the Crypt didn’t have an event, like tonight – proper strip clubs. He didn’t tell his friends, but they knew, and understood. Buster always repeated he’d be dead before thirty – Val would, probably, too, with the way she made enemies at the fights with being unbeatable. Raphael would never flourish into the artist he was, but he’d happily stay in the tiny tattoo parlour in the last apartment on Bay Street and provide for his brother. And Jamie...well, Jamie didn’t have any aspirations. He hadn’t had any when he came to the building and he didn’t have any now. He seemed content making coffees all day and cocktails all night; he couldn’t wait to finish school. He hated learning but if he didn’t, he would probably go places – he was a bright kid.

Well, Gus _was_ going places.

He had attended a private boys academy before shit hit the fan with his family – he had grown up around people aspiring to go to Cambridge and Oxford, to open their own businesses, to see the world. So, while everyone worked their assess off, he relied on his sister for rent – he knew it was selfish, but she insisted he concentrate on his studies, finish sixth form and get into university. And once he made something out of himself, he’d repay everything – he’d make sure his sister lived comfortably, he’d re-do the building to make it better for everyone...images of that pushed him to do better.

Which was why on that Saturday morning Gus was on his tiny bed, studying as always. He’d always wanted to be a surgeon but chemistry, biology and maths kicked his ass every day. He rubbed at his eyes and ran a hand through light brown hair as numbers swam across the pages. He had been studying for three hours straight but still the numbers didn’t add up to anything.

There was a bright, cheerful, triple-knock on the doors and Gus immediately recognised it as his sister’s, who visited him every other weekend. He perked up, glad to be dragged away from his studies for a moment, ‘’come in!’’ he said brightly.

Marianna Wick popped her head around the doors and grinned at her little brother, a curtain of wavy brown hair spilling over her shoulder, ‘’hiya, Gusie! Look who I found dwindling outside!’’

And to Gus’ horror, she entered the room, dragging Gus’ slightly confused mate inside. His name was Alex – Gus had heard him introduce himself before he ran up to his room the other day, and it was impossible to push his name out of his head. Alex – gorgeous enough to knock Gus’ breath out of his lungs – gave him a sheepish smile, ‘’I don’t mean to intrude...’’

‘’You’re not!’’ Marianna said brightly as Gus scrambled to gather the papers and books off his bed for them to sit down, ‘he’s cute’ Marianna mouthed at her brother.

‘’Um...please, sit down,’’ Gus motioned to his made bed, stacking up his books next to his bed just to have something to do. Marianna set down the cardboard cup holder she had brought three teas up in from downstairs, and distributed them around, ‘’so, Gusie, Alex tells me you’re his mate,’’ Marianna wiggled her eyebrows, ‘’he’s a soldier, you know?’’

Gus looked at Alex, ‘’you...are?’’

‘’Cadet,’’ Alex corrected quickly; he had a faint, American accent – if Gus had to guess, he’d say Texas, though he was no expert, ‘’just graduated from the Virginia Military Institute.’’

‘’So what are you doing around here?’’ Marianna asked.

‘’Visiting family,’’ Alex hesitated, before adding, ‘’I’m getting dispatched at the end of June.’’

Gus looked at the tea in his hands. On one hand, he felt relieved – at least Alex wouldn’t be around for much longer. On the other hand, nine months felt impossibly long – and Alex...shit, Alex was exactly what Gus would have pictured if he’d been asked what his perfect boyfriend would look like. And he was his mate...his stomach sank at the thought that he might go. He nodded, ‘’that’s...’’ he grappled for the right words.

Marianna glanced between them, then pointedly down at her cup, ‘’oh! Art forgot to put sugar in mine! Be right back,’’ she rushed from the room, leaving Alex and Gus alone.

Suddenly the room seemed so much smaller.

‘’Sorry,’’ Alex offered with a sun-bright, shy smile, ‘’I went on a walk and before I knew it, I was standing in front of the building. Your sister bumped into me and asked who I was waiting for and I said ‘Gus’ and she said that she’s your sister and-‘’

‘’It’s alright,’’ Gus said quickly, cutting off Alex’s rambling, ‘’I....you...’’ Gus took a deep breath and raised his dark brown eyes to meet Alex’s green, ‘’you seem like a really nice guy...but this...us...it can’t happen. I just...I can’t...it...’’ Gus felt himself getting worked up and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm down, ‘’I’m sorry,’’ he whispered.

‘’It’s okay,’’ Alex’s voice was soft as he stared down at his tea with a sad smile. Gus opened his eyes and his heart clenched, ‘’I understand. You don’t have to apologise,’’ he stood, ‘’I should go.’’

‘’Ah, yeah...’’ Gus scrambled off the bed, as if he could see Alex out. The cadet made his way to the doors and pushed it open. Before he walked out, he glanced back at Gus and offered him another one of those bright smiled, ‘’no matter what, I’m glad I got the chance to meet my mate.’’

*~*~*  


Jed March didn’t know what he was doing. You wouldn’t guess by looking at his neat appearance and calm manner of speaking, but he didn’t know what he was doing for the majority of time. He just kind of...found himself in front of the Border, a strip club on the other end of town. At 11pm. Not good. He’d finished all his work at 6pm but he was restless – he had been for the last few days. He wasn’t a fool; he knew it had something to do with Art not speaking to him since he refused to do anything about that run-down shit show that was the last building on Bay Street. It wasn’t as if he’d spoken with Art often before but he at least involved himself in lessons, offered him smiles and said hi and goodbye. Jed knew it was just some primal wolf instinct in him craving any acknowledgement from his mate that made him act. And, maybe, he felt a little bit guilty about dismissing something so important to another person. So when he heard that afternoon in class how Art was telling that friend of his – Mihael Franz, it said on the register – that he was working at the Border today because the Crypt (whatever these names meant) wasn’t open, the piece of information lodged itself deep in Jed’s brain, between poems he had learned off by heart back in university and a permanent to-do list.

And he couldn’t get rid of it.

Jed had a simple plan. Find Art, apologise, explain why nothing could be done about the apartment building. Part on good terms. And everything would be back to normal on the next free lesson Jed gave in the community college.

It was, of course, easier said than done.

Jed figured that he probably ought to have changed. He was still in his work suit, his dark hair slicked back naturally. He looked like some kind of art connoisseur (no pun intended) or like a forty year old man about to venture into a strip club for the first time, rather than a twenty six year old, freshly baked university professor. Jed looked at the flashing neon sign reading ‘THE BORDER’ dubiously as it cast pink and blue light on the regal panes of his face, before, finally, the woman in front of him was let inside the club and the two bodyguards – dressed like border control officers – motioned him through. He had looked much out of place in the queue and he ignored the curious looks some of the party-goers, dressed in bling and dazzle, gave him and his attire.

The inside of the Border was what one would call an ‘organised mess’. Fashioned into an actual border, with tables cut-off by metal barriers, giving privacy, the walls being made of dusty brick and the bar made to look like a passport control booth, the club was a mess of metal, flashing lights and loud music. And then there were the dancers. Separated by ‘keep out’ tape, they danced inside cages, curling around metal bars, and on metal poles, half-naked. And Jed very easily pin-pointed where Art danced – right at the centre, writhing in a cage as if his body was liquid. He outshined all the other dancers by far.

And, what was worst, the sight of him went straight to Jed’s groin.

‘’Stupid wolf,’’ he growled at himself, thankful for the darkness of the club that would hide his predicament. He wanted to get out of the loud, sinful place, as soon as possible – he was also trying to ignore the fact that his mate worked as a stripper. When he had heard it, he didn’t believe it, but now the point hit home. He told himself it didn’t matter; he had long since decided not to act on any urge to be with his mate, so it didn’t matter where he worked. Or who admired his half-naked body. Jed marched up towards the cage where Art was dancing, wishing he wasn’t so easily bothered – wishing he could have waited until Monday to apologise to his student.

His path was blocked by two men, as tall as him, a couple of steps away from Art’s cage.

One held out a hand, ‘’you can’t touch the dancers,’’ he said sternly.

‘’I wasn’t going to,’’ Jed half-yelled over the music, ‘’I need to talk to Art,’’ he pointed at the boy just as he sank to his knees and arched his body, lips parted, hand raking through his ash-coloured hair, ‘’that’s that one.’’

The two men glanced appreciatively at the cage and Jed shoved down the instinct to growl at them – or gouge out their eyes. Then the other bodyguard waved a hand at someone, ‘’if you want one-on-one, you gotta talk to the boss.’’

As Jed opened his mouth to ask who, exactly, the boss was, the two bodyguards turned and walked away – and were replaced by a different man. A man who could easily be the personification of the Border, what with all the glitter, metallic clothing and make up, ‘’hey~’’ he chirped over the music, throwing a pink feathered boa over Jed’s shoulders playfully, ‘’found someone you like?’’

‘’I need to speak to Art.’’

‘’Ah, Art~’’ the man – the boss of the Border – nodded, ‘’he’s our special little guest, only here rarely, so the price is higher.’’

Jed frowned, ‘’I have to pay?’’

‘’For a dance, yeah,’’ the man said in a ‘duh’ voice.

‘’No, you’ve got it wrong, I’m his...’’ he hesitated. What was he meant to say? ‘Teacher’ would make him look like a creep and ‘mate’ usually didn’t go over well with humans.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to answer, ‘’honey, you could be his husband for all I care. You still need to pay for one-on-one time,’’ the man wigged his eyebrows and extended his hand, ‘’thirty quid, darling.’’

Jed stared at his outstretched hand dubiously but he could see that under the makeup and chipper facade was a business man that didn’t plan on negotiating. He dug out his wallet from the inner pocket of his blazer jacket, pulled out three bills and smacked them on the man’s hand. The owner grinned, ‘’sit just over there, darling, I’ll send Art over. Oh, and make sure to tip!’’ he was off in a flurry of glitter and pink feathers.

Jed groaned internally but walked over to a booth half secluded by a faux brick wall and sat down heavily on a padded red couch. He rapped his fingers on his knee. Every second felt drawn out – this was totally not his scene. The owner appeared from behind the faux wall, a shirtless Art hot on his heels. He was wearing a seductive smile on his lips – right until he saw Jed, at which point his smile disappeared and his pale grey eyes widened, ‘’ _you_ requested me!?’’  

The owner gave him a stern look, ‘’ _please_ the customer,’’ he said pointedly and all but shoved Art onto Jed.

‘’Art-‘’

Jed’s voice lodged in his throat when suddenly Art descended onto his lap, right onto the erection he was trying to hide, ‘’oh, someone’s excited,’’ Art said with bite as he rolled his hips, ass grinding down on Jed’s erection. This close up, Jed could hear him perfectly.

Jed’s hands fluttered to Art’s hips to stop his movements, ‘’Art, wait-‘’ Art didn’t stop, even with Jed’s hands on his hips.

‘’All that talk about being my teacher,’’ Art whispered against his ear, grinding down harder and throwing his arms around Jed’s neck, ‘’and yet here you are.’’

Jed swallowed, closing his eyes briefly. His wolf, who he usually had on a tight leash, was reeling against his grip, threatening to take over, ‘’I didn’t come here for this.’’

‘’Funny,’’ Art’s hand slid up the back of Jed’s neck to fist in his dark hair, ‘’you seem to be enjoying yourself.’’

A dozen arguments Jed had died as Art brushed his lips ever so slightly against the shell of Jed’s ear, ‘’Art, stop,’’ Jed growled.

‘’Minute thirty left,’’ Art said, his other hand drawing down Jed’s chest through his shirt. He was moving his hips sinfully against Jed’s front and as much as he didn’t want to look, Jed found himself mesmerised by the movement.

‘’Art...’’ there was a dangerous edge to his voice.

Art wasn’t listening anymore, eyes closed, probably pretending Jed was some other customer – he must have been, because in the next instance, Art grabbed Jed’s hand and slid it to cup his ass.

‘ _’Arthur!_ ’’ Jed barked, angry that Art didn’t see the danger he was getting himself into. But then he wasn’t thinking about anything more, because his eyes flared gold.

Art’s own widened at the suddenness of it and his movements ceased as Jed gave a low growl – there was no longer warning in it, but desire, as his fingers dug into Art’s ass and hip and he leaned forward. His nose brushed the spot below Art’s ear and the boy froze, realising what he had gotten himself into. But the brush of Jed’s lips never came because in the next instance he had control over himself again. He shoved Art off him and stormed out of the booth, needing fresh air. He all but ran for the back door entrance and burst into the chilly September night. He was a born wolf. He hadn’t lost control over himself since he was a pup.

And now...

‘’Mr March!’’ Art, still shirtless, ran outside after him, breathless. They faced each other, Art still panting.

‘’I’m sorry,’’ Jed said.

‘’No, I...I shouldn’t have...’’ he gestured between them, ‘’it was inappropriate and I was just angry...sorry,’’ he swallowed, finally catching his breath.

‘’About that...I’m sorry, too,’’ Jed composed himself. No matter what, he still had to fulfil his plan, ‘’the way I spoke to you wasn’t kind, or professional. What I was meant to say was that I’m sorry your building is going to get demolished and that there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s not like I don’t want to or I don’t care, it’s just virtually impossible.’’

Art stared at him with wide eyes, beginning to tremble in the cold, ‘’you’re really not going to do anything about it?’’

‘’There’s nothing to be done, Art,’’ Jed sighed, ‘’the building is old and it will cost the council much less to just get rid of it.’’

‘’I could pay-‘’

‘’With what money, Art?’’ Jed asked gently, ‘’the very fact that you work here,’’ he gestured to the Border, ‘’leads me to believe that your financial position is not great,’’ he sighed, ‘’I’m sorry, Art. Truly. I wish it could be different.’’

Art’s hands formed into fists that shook at his sides. Then his shoulders sagged and his fingers relaxed, ‘’there have only been a couple of people I have cared about in my life,’’ he whispered, ‘’all of them live or work in that building. Our lives resolve around it. We’re all busy, most of the time – that building keeps us together. A-and,’’ his voice quivered, ‘’if it’s not there anymore, then we’ll fall apart,’’ his eyes lined with silver, ‘’and then I’ll fall apart,’’ he finished in a breath.

Jed stared at him. Stared at his mate, shaking and half naked, and thought about his situation. He probably didn’t have much going for him. He clearly didn’t enjoy learning and his job wasn’t great – his friends were possibly the only thing in his life he valued. That made Jed’s heart clench, ‘’gosh,’’ he whispered to himself and shrugged off his blazer jacket. He stepped closer to Art and extended it to him. The boy took it with hesitant hands and threw it over his shoulders, ‘’I get it. I’ll see what I can do. But you need to make the building worth saving,’’ he began walking away and a startled Art turned to watch him go, ‘’start with that illegal marihuana business that stinks up the whole place.’’

Art wanted to thank him – but he was so shocked that he had convinced Jed March to fight for a lost cause that he couldn’t, and when he finally regained his voice, Jed was long gone. Art wrapped his teacher’s jacket tighter around himself, cocooned by a soothing scent of books and tea. He suddenly felt no urge to return to the club.

*~*~*

‘’Valentina Lacy, right?’’ a beautifully melodic, thickly Russian voice made Val lift her head from where she was preparing for her next fight on her usual case in the abandoned train station, nearly a kilometre down from the previous spot. At the sight of the red-head who had kissed her during the police raid, Val sprung up and away from her, ‘’I didn’t mean to startle you,’’ the woman said, her lips a slash of red. Her blue eyes were adorned with a simple smokey eye – she looked rich, important. She didn’t belong at the fights.

‘’What do you want?’’

‘’To apologise for my behaviour during the full moon,’’ the red-head inclined her head, ‘’truthfully, I hadn’t expected to find my mate so I was unprepared when I saw you. I lost control.’’

‘’No shit,’’ Val said, but her shoulders relaxed, ‘’how do you know my name?’’

‘’Research,’’ the woman said vaguely, and not at all ominously. Val looked her up and down. Other than clearly being an attractive businesswoman, what with her suit and the perfectly-crafted red braid running down her back, expertly applied makeup and confident manner of speaking, she was also clearly rich – so she probably had the money to hire...hackers? Spies? Val didn’t know how she found the information about her – she wasn’t online, she didn’t have a phone and at the fight she was known only as V. Lacy. She could have, of course, cornered Tori and dragged it out of her. Val couldn’t tell how powerful a wolf the woman was.

‘’It’s kind of unfair if you know my name and I don’t know yours,’’ Val said, glancing around the train station. Fighters were still preparing, but it would be her turn in the pits soon; she had to wrap up the conversation, fast.

The woman’s face was impassive, but finally she parted her scarlet-painted lips, ‘’Elizabeth Winter.’’

Val raised an eyebrow, ‘’you don’t sound like you’re English.’’

‘’It’s the English translation, more or less. Easier to pronounce.’’

‘’So what’s your actual name?’’

Now those red lips curled up in a faint smile, ‘’Yelizaveta Ignatiev.’’

Val blinked, ‘’right, Elizabeth then. Ellie?’’ not like it mattered.

‘’Ellie’s fine.’’

‘’Well, listen then, Ellie, I appreciate you coming down here to apologise. You seem more...civilised than most wolves I met. But this mate thing,’’ she gestured between them, ‘’isn’t going to work. I have what you could call a ‘hard character’. I can barely form friendships and make human-on-human contact – you being a wolf wouldn’t make it any easier.’’

Elizabeth shrugged, ‘’we could try. I don’t mind your...,’’ another smile, ‘’hard character.’’

‘’That’s cause you don’t know me,’’ Val shrugged, ‘’and another thing – I don’t want to be tied down, to you or anyone else. In my world, things move fast – I don’t have time for things like mates. So, sorry to disappoint,’’ she walked past Ellie and slapped her shoulder encouragingly, ‘’but our meeting ends here.’’

Then she jumped into the pits.

When she emerged again, with a bleeding nose and a wad of cash in her hand, Yelizaveta Ignatiev was nowhere to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'VE POSTED MY NEW ORIGINAL WORK. TIME FOR AN ADVERT: 
> 
> SHAPESHIFTERS!
> 
> MPREG! 
> 
> SASSY HUMANS VS GRUMPY MATES! 
> 
> FOUR SEPERATE STORYLINES SO YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR FAVOURITES, YAYS! 
> 
> Check it out here my darlings ;) 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/13994928/chapters/32225382


	8. The Pack on Bay Street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, thank you so much for your support, especially to my 4 lovely reviewers ;*

After their last meeting, in which Fritz threatened Raphael, the tattooist didn’t expect to see him again so soon. September wasn’t even over when Raphael finished stacking his equipment on the shelves, the other employees of A Touch of Ink long gone, and walked out of the warehouse-style room on the first floor of the last building on Bay Street to find Fritz leaning on the wall. He looked deep in thought but he jerked away from the wall, like he hadn’t expected Raphael to actually come out, when the tattooist cleared his throat, ‘’h-hey,’’ Fritz said, trying to compose himself. His dreadlocks were pulled back in a ponytail, hands stuffed in a puffy, worn bomber jacket, looking a little thin for the weather that had now become laced with freezing rain and even more-freezing wind, but Raphael didn’t say anything. He didn’t smile. He didn’t return the greeting, not after last time. Not after Fritz pinned him to the wall, yelled at him for no reason and then threatened to beat him up. He wasn’t going to let some random dude push him around whenever he felt like it. Especially not a werewolf.

Raphael turned from Fritz to lock the doors of the tattoo parlour, ‘’we’re closed,’’ he said in a cold, emotionless voice.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fritz shrink in on himself. He was already a pretty small guy, and now his small, hunched over form almost made Raphael feel guilty about his tone. But not fully. Raphael made as if to walk right past Fritz, but the boy jumped in front of him, putting a hand on his chest to stop him, ‘’Wait. Wait! I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry,’’ Raphael peered down at him. At the way the jacket sleeves were drawn over his hands so only the tips of his fingers peeked out, at the way his pale skin flushed as he apologised, with embarrassment and shame, at the way his shoulder hunched,  at his gruff voice shaking, and Raphael realised, for the first time, that Fritz was really, _really_ cute. Like, kitten-cute. If Fritz was a stray cat, Raphael would have totally adopted him. Raphael sighed but made no move to try and avoid Fritz, so the gangster dropped his hand and peeked at Raphael through dark lashes, ‘’what I said...I was just freaked out, ‘kay? I want to explain it to you, properly. And I want to make up my behaviour to you. I’m better than that. I’m not usually so...’’ he gestured vaguely, ‘’hot headed.’’

Raphael shifted his head, dark hair falling into his eyes, as he peered down at the wolf. Finally, he said, ‘’since when do you care so much about what I think?’’ upon seeing Fritz turn slightly more red, Raphael chuckled, ‘’I’m teasing. Fine. Let’s talk. You want to do it here...?’’

Fritz shook his head and turned, making it clear Raphael should follow.

*~*~*

Raphael hadn’t expected to find himself in one of the small, but nice, Italian restaurants a couple streets down. He’d passed it a few times but he’d never gone inside – eight quid a meal was well outside his budget and there was still Carmelo to think about. But that’s where Fritz brought him. If his friends had suggested it (which, realistically, they wouldn’t) he’d say no because he wouldn’t have wanted to waste the money when he could make dinner for him and his brother for a fiver. But he didn’t say that to Fritz, who clearly had picked the place specially for them. He figured he could treat himself. They looked well out of place, though; a short boy in an old bomber jacket and a rough voice, and tattooed, muscular Raphael in a faded leather jacket, looking like he’d come from...well, the bad end of Bay Street.

But the waitress that came to assign them a table didn’t falter, leading them over to a small two-person by the floor-to-ceiling window, and setting the menus before them. Both Raphael and Fritz went straight for the pasta, which was cheapest. They ordered when the waitress came, Raphael shuffling in his seat, looking around the twinkling fairy lights and fake grape vines, ‘’and can I get you two a drink?’’

‘’Tap water,’’ they said together. It was always tap water for Raphael, since it was free; sometimes he could afford a coke, if he worked on a bigger project at A Touch of Ink. The waitress nodded and sauntered off.

‘’Nice place,’’ Raphael took in the decor. He never went to restaurants with _decor_. Or even restaurants, really.

‘’Yeah,’’ Fritz said gruffly, playing with the edges of the white table cloth, ‘’thought it would be.’’

‘’How’s the smoking going, by the way? Have you quit for good?’’

‘’Yeah, it’s going okay. M&Ms are getting me through.’’

Raphael nodded, and then added wearily, ‘’did you get moody cause of withdrawal symptoms? Is that why you said what you said?’’

Fritz’s cheeks reddened again and he dropped the table cloth, ‘’no, I...’’ he sighed, ‘’you know how a pack usually consists of betas and then they have an alpha?’’

Raphael nodded again, ‘’but you guys don’t have an alpha, right?’’

‘’We’re still looking for one. But the thing is,’’ Fritz laced his fingers together on the table, ‘’there’s a third denomination. An omega. Omegas are really rare, they don’t give out a scent and are usually pretty weak. They don’t put on muscle as easily as other wolves. They’re really just like humans, I suppose, except they can shift into wolf form.’’

‘’Okay?’’ Raphael wasn’t grasping it.

‘’Omegas can’t lead a pack. They just can’t. They’re not strong enough,’’ Fritz rubbed his face, ‘’and...I’m an omega.’’

Raphael gaped, ‘’but you lead you pack!’’

‘’Exactly,’’ Fritz said, ‘’that’s my point. They don’t know. I mask the fact that I don’t have a wolf-scent with deodorant and cigarettes and stuff, and I don’t get into fights, at least not in front of my pack. They...I don’t know how they would react. Maybe they’d be cool with it, but if they knew...I mean, how could I have any authority, then? I’d have to let someone else take care of them and I...’’ he paused, swallowed, ‘’and I can’t do that.’’

For a moment, Raphael was silent. It would explain a bunch of things. Like how Fritz had to use his entire body-weight to pin Raphael against the wall the last time they saw each other. In reality, Raphael was probably stronger than Fritz, ‘’so why did you get mad at me?’’

Fritz’s shoulders sagged, ‘’an omega can’t top, in a sexual relationship. So male omegas always go for other males. Like...it’s just against their nature. It...won’t turn them on. And...when I came to you during the full moon and tried to get you to...you know...’’ he played with his fingers nervously, ‘’I was scared you’d tell someone. And word would spread, and they’d hear, and they’d realise. It wouldn’t be a big deal if you were a wolf. But because I lead the pack and I want to be mated by a human...it’s just...it’s...’’

‘’I get it,’’ Raphael said softly, ‘’kind of. I think. It clears some things up, at least,’’ he sat back, ‘’so I’m not angry at you anymore. About the threatening thing. But maybe you should just tell your pack. They are your family.’’

‘’Yeah. Maybe.’’ Fritz said gruffly, unconvinced.

Raphael smiled and hooked his ankle around Fritz’s under the table, ‘’hey, cheer up, dude. We’re about to eat some awesome pasta. That counts for something.’’

Finally, Fritz offered him a tentative smile, ‘’for the record,’’ he added, ‘’I don’t want to have sex with you. It was just the full moon.’’

Raphael grinned, ‘’noted.’’

But their ankles remained interlocked under the table. And after they finished eating, Fritz paid, despite Raphael’s protest, wanting to full make up for his behaviour. And then Fritz walked Raphael back to Bay Street. In the end Raphael decided that hanging out with Fritz was pretty cool.

*~*~*

‘’Buster. _Buster!_ ’’

Buster had been deep in thought. Well, in one particular thought – of a gorgeous, tall asshole whose ID he still had. Why could he not get rid of it? Why could he not stop thinking about Gideon Reis? ‘’Sorry,’’ Buster smiled sheepishly at Jamie, who was behind the bar at the Crypt. Their group was gathered around the bar. The night was in full swing, and Jamie was barely managing to juggle talking to his friends and making drinks for patrons. They were doing their September-All-Nighter, an annual event where the party started at midnight and ended at noon the next day. It was a wacky idea but it attracted a shitload of excited uni students, so it worked. They were all tired, especially Buster, who had been the lollipop man all morning and then danced with Carmelo on the streets for the rest of the day. But the All-Nighter did give them a couple more hours of sleep, between school, closing their establishments and midnight, ‘’what were we talking about?’’

‘’The building,’’ Jamie said in a ‘duh’ voice, ‘’we need to figure out what to do before it gets knocked down on our heads – Jesus, dude, chill, I’m mixing!’’ Jamie put up his shaker, mixing it pointedly as an already drunk customer cussed him out for his slowness.

‘’Guys, I’m working on it,’’ Art tried to sound reassuring, which was hard, considering the loud music.

Val gave him a sceptical look, ‘’how is your scrawny ass gonna save our building?’’

‘’Jed March is helping me,’’ Art said vaguely. ‘Helping’...well, all he did was tell him to shut down DeeDee’s van so far, which he still had no idea how to do. And who knew if he’d be willing to help him after.

Val rolled her eyes. They had a long conversation, all of them, the night before – about Jed, Alex, Diego, Val and Fritz, about the full moon, about everything. As it stood, it looked as if only Buster didn’t have a mate, which he was rather content with, ‘’sure, whatever you say.’’

‘’He _is_ the owner!’’ Gus piped up from under the bar where he was fiddling with the new playlist, ‘’if anyone can have any sway with the council, it’s gonna be him.’’

Art stretched, and glanced at the clock hanging above the bar. It was 5am. Seven hours to go. He stood and clapped Val on the back, ‘’come on, let’s dance.’’

Just then Raphael came sprinting in. Buster admired his energy so early in the morning, until Raphael slammed his hands on the bar, ‘’raid!’’

Jamie swore, ‘’why _now_?’’ they hadn’t had a police raid for over a year. Gus killed the music and confused party comers looked around as Jamie grabbed a megaphone from under the bar, jumping on top of it, ‘’yo, it’s the police! Everyone, go for the back!’’

The club descended into general chaos And Jamie jumped down, ‘’this will affect our ratings,’’ he grumbled, helping Gus out from behind the counter, ‘’okay, all of you scram,’’ they joined the stream of people going for the back doors before the police managed to get inside, which wouldn’t be long. Jamie stayed behind. If the police had to investigate who was the owner, things could go bad, fast, especially since Jed March didn’t know about the Crypt. So Jamie always stayed behind – also because he was a minor and would have to be tried as such. Usually, the police couldn’t be asked to deal with the lengthy process that entailed. His friends had long since given up on fighting him about his decision. Two thirds of the people were out of the club by the time the police force outside managed to ram the metal doors open but once they flew in, it was game over.

People screamed, cursed and fought as they were dragged outside through the basement door entrance. Two cops rose up in front of Jamie, who gave them a mocking grin, ‘’officers.’’

‘’If it isn’t our favourite blondie,’’ the officers grabbed his thin arms, probably more forcefully than they had to, and dragged him outside. Jamie had not yet wielded his name to them. He had no ID and he wasn’t in the missing database since he’d gone AWOL after his depressed mom died at 12. He didn’t have any other relatives and so no one looked for the skinny kid down the street that suddenly disappeared one day. The only reason why he was in high school was because the council forced him to at least finish his education – to everyone who met him, outside his close group of friends, he was just ‘Jamie’ – and to the cops, who he was rather well acquainted with at this point, he was the blond nuisance on Bay Street.

The cold September morning air hit Jamie’s bare arms, exposed by his tank top. The sky was still black, but in an hour or so the sun would begin to rise. There were half a dozen cop cars parked in a messy circle around the end of Bay Street – all around officers were taking IDs and names off pissed-off party goers. Those that had made it out through the back had run for the forest, his friends, hopefully, included, ‘’I’ll take him now, officers.’’

Jamie looked up and nearly groaned out loud when he saw Diego Delarosa in front of him. But the two men that had been man-handling Jamie let go with nods towards Delarosa, who immediately grabbed his arm and dragged him away, ‘’ah, this is perfect for you, isn’t it?’’ Jamie mocked, ‘’putting me in handcuffs, locking me up. You’d enjoy it, wouldn’t you?’’

‘’If you want to save your building, you should probably get rid of that club,’’ Diego said calmly, dragging Jamie around the corner of the building. He stopped when the red and blue flashes of cop cars were no longer visible and let go of Jamie’s arm, ‘’get out of here.’’

Jamie stared. His mouth fell open, ‘’wait...you’re letting me go?’’ Diego shrugged. Jamie gaped, ‘ _’why?_ ’’ he hadn’t exactly been nice to his mate.

‘’You know what I would actually, genuinely enjoy?’’

Jamie hesitated, ‘’what?’’

‘’Knowing you’re safe. So lay low for a bit before coming back into the building,’’ he shrugged off his black aviator jacket and tossed it at Jamie, ‘’stay here and quit getting into trouble.’’

Jamie watched him walk back around the building with wide, surprised eyes, hands clutching the warm jacket in his hands.

*~*~*  


Ellie could smell the danger. She had been sitting in bed, balancing her company’s books, when she had felt it. That tingle of worry. And she had been off like a dart, eyes flashing gold, canines elongating in her panic. She now stood in the shadows of one of the frail trees in the field that stretched out from the back of Bay Street, watching the crowd of complaining, young revellers be rounded up by the police. As she scanned the scene, she relaxed. No sign of Val. Thank god. She turned to go.

A gorgeous, pale haired boy landed in front of Ellie, towering over her. A wolf. He inclined his head, ‘’I thought I’d felt the presence of an alpha nearby on the full moon.’’

‘’I just moved here,’’ Ellie said, her nose twitching as she read the boy’s scent. As an alpha, her nose was much better than a Beta’s. The boy smelled like flowers, soft and velvety. Underneath that – curiosity. And even further down – the need to be accepted. Ellie’s red mouth curled up in a smile. The boy was young, arrogant, inexperienced with living with a pack outside his family. He was a made wolf, but long ago. He wouldn’t be trouble, ‘’you looking for a pack?’’

The boy nodded, ‘’if you’ll have me, alpha.’’

Ellie extended her hand, ‘’I’m Ellie.’’

The boy shook it, ‘’Gideon.’’

‘’So there is an alpha in this area.’’

Ellie and Gideon turned to find a police officer peering at them by the tree. Ellie picked up on his scent. Sweat; he must have been running around, gathering the party-goers. Metal of the equipment he worked with. He was strong, Ellie could tell straight away. He’d be good to have in a pack. A left wing man, a born Beta, ‘’Ellie.’’

‘’Diego Delarosa. It’s a pleasure. You’re Gideon?’’ he nodded towards the pale blond man, ‘’I overheard.’’

‘’Diego?’’

Diego blinked, turning, surprised, ‘’Alex?’’

The cadet grinned at him, clasping his hand, ‘’I was in the area when I felt a large gathering of wolves. Didn’t think I’d find you here!’’

Diego nodded towards Ellie, ‘’she’s an alpha. Willing to form a pack.’’

Ellie glanced over Alex. It was easy to tell he’d fit right in  - he was a bright ray of sunshine. Glue for a group, ‘’I am,’’ she said.

‘’Cool!’’ Alex inclined his head in respect to the alpha, ‘’mind taking me, too?’’

Ellie nodded, then frowned, ‘’we’re hardly a large gathering of wolves. What did you mean-‘’

‘’Oh my god, an alpha!’’

Ellie turned towards Bay Street, down which came a group of what looked to be street thugs. She quickly scanned their scents for bad intentions but there were none. She raised her eyebrows, surprised, at the lack of scent from the man in charge. A beta wouldn’t pick up on it but an alpha...the boy was an omega. Before she could address the new comers, she picked up on another scent. A wolf got out of his car, blue eyed and dark haired, in a suit, smelling of paper. A teacher? Ellie looked around. She must have given out a stronger scent than she thought when she had ran in search of Val – but from the looks of it, it had gotten her a pack.

*~*~*

While his friends ran for the trees, Art double back to the back of their building, where DeeDee blasted Tupac so loudly from her weed van she did not hear the commotion. Now was as good a chance as he would get to have DeeDee go off-radar for a while. Just for long enough for Jed March to save the building. He rammed his fist into the metal door of her trailer as loudly as he could and DeeDee emerged a second later, pulling cucumbers off her eyes. Her wrinkled, dark face was smeared with what looked to be a face mask of her own making, ‘’who’s this?’’

‘’It’s me, Dee.’’

‘’Ah, Artie!’’ she gave him a tooth-less grin, ‘’what brings you here?’’

‘’There’s a police raid.’’

Dee’s smile fell and she grabbed Art’s shoulder as her knees wobbled, ‘’oh dear,’’ she whispered. She ignored Jamie’s warnings about cops snooping around but having an _actual_ raid... she glanced over her shoulder into the depth of her trailer where the weed plants thrived, ‘’what will they do to my babies?’’

Art gripped her hand, ‘’DeeDee, listen to me. You have to get out of here. For your babies. Just for a while. There’s a lot of things we need to sort out, but when we do, you’ll have a spot here as always, and we won’t be getting more police raids, kay’’

DeeDee, for once, looked like a frail old lady, ‘’oh, Art, but where will I go?’’

Art racked his brain and his eyes shone with an idea, ‘’Raphael can park you in the communal garden behind his apartment. The junkies in his building never use it,’’ he said.

DeeDee didn’t look convinced – but just then the sounds of the cops ransacking the front grew louder – and nearer. Much nearer. They were coming round the back and once there were no more running students to round up, they’d come knocking on DeeDee’s van. They’d discover her stash and she’d get 14 years in prison, ‘’right,’’ she said, determined, ‘’I’m going then, sweets,’’ she patted Art’s cheek and slammed the doors shut, hobbling over to the front of the van, getting behind the driver’s seat. She drove off, Tupac still blasting, and when the cops filed into the back of the last building on Bay Street, both Art and DeeDee were gone.


	9. Bay Street's New Florist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I know I was supposed to update yesterday! Whoopsie!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where_are_my_dragons - darling don't worry! I appreciate every comment you give me, no matter how rare or often that happens! Omg yea I did intro Diego as an alpha - HE IS NOW OFFICIALLY A BETA (sorry about that!) Thank you so much for your review, it was so uplifting!
> 
> sourcandii - omg yesss I would love rent that cheap! Hehe. Thank you so much for supporting all my work, you're awesome! <3 
> 
> xiennary123 - thank you for the review darling, I laughed so much especially at the way you write (goooOoooOd xD) you're awesome, I love you sis <3 
> 
> BAEcml - thank you for reading & support me darling!!
> 
> Salazar5631 - yass, we need those champagne showers!! Hehe I'm glad I made you like both Lirim & Bay Street. Thanks so much for your support :*
> 
> FlufflePufflePonies - Yaaa Diego was an alpha (ooops accident xD) he's a beta now tho ;p Sorry! Thank you for reviewing & I'm super happy you're passionate about Lirim. You're really awesome! 
> 
> And thank you everyone else for supporting Bay Street, you're all amazing!!!

Once October came around, there was no denying that it was too cold to walk around without a coat. Gus found himself making his way home from the Halloween party committee meeting by himself. Like each year, his fellow high schoolers – Jamie and Val – adamantly refused participation in what they called ‘the most cringe worthy event of the year’ (especially considering you had to pay for a ticket) and glared at anyone who dared approach them about it. Gus, on the other hand, was the most approachable person and earth and, as always, he got roped into the party’s committee. As he returned, the sun was already setting, flooding the dusty alleyways he was using to get to Bay Street quicker with soft orange light. Gus was swimming in his tweed, knee-long coat that looked like it had survived WW2 – four blue buttons, a prim collar and grizzly, knitted material made the coat look older than Gus. It was way too big for him, but he’d found it in a charity shop the first winter he’d moved out of his house and he’d loved it ever since. The pockets were so deep his glove-less hands didn’t even feel the chilly wind, buried deep within.

Gus was halfway home when suddenly someone stepped out of the shadows of the alley and into the thin strip of orange light still cast by the sun. Gus’ heart came up to his throat. Being approachable also meant he’d be an easy target if someone wanted to jump him, which is why he usually didn’t walk around dodgy alleys by himself. But as Gus stopped and raised his head he realised that whoever had just stepped in his path was a drop-dead-gorgeous, golden haired cadet, ‘’Alex,’’ Gus breathed, his heart dropping back to his chest to thunder there as if someone was beating Gus’ chest with a bag of rocks, ‘’were you waiting for me?’’

‘’No!’’ Alex said quickly, the blush colouring the tips of his ears giving him away. School had finished a couple hours ago. If Alex had waited here that long, hoping Gus would walk by... ‘’listen,’’ Alex shuffled his feet nervously, ‘’I’ve been thinking about what you said and I...um...do you want to grab a coffee or something?’’ when Gus didn’t immediately reply, Alex jerked his chin vaguely to the left, ‘’there’s a cafe just round the corner,’’ he said hopefully.

Gus was a genuinely nice person. He didn’t know how to say no to people. And he wasn’t sure he wanted to say no to Alex. Even though this was most definitely not a good idea, having coffee with Alex sounded...nice, ‘’okay,’’ Gus squeaked.

A smile bloomed on Alex’s lips and it was as if the sun had climbed back up the sky and washed the alley in golden sunlight. Gus fell into step with him, hunching his shoulders. He felt strangely embarrassed around Alex. He was a generally shy person, but just the thought that he and Alex were _fated_ made him blush. They didn’t talk as they made their way quickly out of the chillness of the air and into a small cafe on the road outside the alley. It was much prettier than the coffee shop, with couches and bean bag chairs set around low wooden tables, big windows looking out at the street, now dripping with rain that had began as soon as the two stepped within the building, and fairy lights strung everywhere. Gus sneaked over to one of the tables by the window as Alex went to order. He must have remembered what Marianna got for her brother, because he set a steaming teacup of herbal tea in front of Gus a few minutes later.

For a long while, they stared out of the window at the patterns made on the glass by the rain, not saying anything, drinking their beverages. The silence between them was comfortable; as if they were a couple married of fifty years that had learned to soak in each other’s presence without speaking. Gus had one had on the table, the other tracing the handle of the teacup idly as he watched two raindrops race down the windowpane. That’s when he felt something touch the hand on the table and when he glanced up, Alex was leaning his face on his fist, green eyes lowered, watching as the finger of his free hand traced the back of Gus’ ever so gently. It was joined by a second finger. Gus' breath caught as Alex brushed three fingers gently against the back of his hand, increasing the pressure. A fourth finger, and then Alex slipped his hand around Gus’ and let them rest, loosely connected, on the table between them. His thumb brushed Gus’ hand as if he couldn’t get over the softness of his skin.

‘’Does this feel weird?’’ Alex asked finally, voice quiet and thoughtful. They were in a crowded cafe. There were people laughing and chatting everywhere. And yet, somehow, Alex had managed to make Gus feel as if they were curled up next to each other in the safety of his bedroom.

‘’It doesn’t...’’ Gus whispered. It did feel strange. It made Gus’ heart pound and his face heat up and the pit of his stomach flare with an unfamiliar fire, but it also made him sink into his chair as his body relaxed, made his eyes want to flutter shut to really revel at the sensation. It did not feel weird in the way Alex was asking. It didn’t feel wrong.

Slowly, Alex leaned over the table. His hand traced over the back of Gus’ wrist, his forearm, then his arm, his shoulder, till it finally came to cup Gus’ cheek. Alex wasn’t smiling. He was completely serious as he said, very quietly, ‘’even if I’m getting dispatched in June...even if you’re not into guys...I want us to try. We’re mates. There’s nothing that can change that. So let me be here for you.’’

As Gus stared into the green of Alex’s eyes, felt the warmth seeping from his fingers into his chilled skin, his lips couldn’t even remember how to form the word ‘no’.

*~*~*  


Gideon was...irritated. It was his usual state of being, but today he was more irritated than usual. He couldn’t sleep. Wouldn’t _let_ himself sleep. Every time he let himself drift away, he dreamt about that boy – his mate. The brown hair, brown eyes, the freckled, tan skin and the crooked, broken nose. He dreamt it so vividly, as if his mate lay next to him. He could see the shadows his eyelashes cast on his cheeks, the way his lips parted when he breathed in... it drove Gideon nuts. It made him sleep deprived. He was really beginning to hate the idea of having a mate. He was from a good household – he was intelligent and educated and, of course, beautiful, and that landed him enough jobs to live an easy life. He didn’t need another job and he didn’t need a rag-tag mate.

But as the result of the second, he got the first.

‘’Do you have any experience as a florist, Gideon?’’ Carma, a dark skinned worker of the flower shop on the first floor of the last building on Bay Street chirped, leaning across the counter. She was clearly smitten with Gideon, which made his mission all the easier. Carma was the only person in the small space crowded with flowers and potted plants; the owner, Song, wasn’t there, which was all the better since men were usually harder to entrance.

Gideon gave Carma a gentle smile, the one he used to get what he wanted. Just the smallest tilt of his lip upwards. It made him look like he didn’t smile often (which he didn’t) but the person he was addressing felt special for coaxing a smile out of him, ‘’no, ma’am.’’

It worked. Carma’s eyes burst with stars, ‘’oh, that’s nothing to worry about. We can train you. Song manages the business side of things and despite our location, we’re pretty popular with the weddings so it would be good to have some help and...’’ Gideon turned off Carma’s chattering, nodding politely every now and then. Her mouth only stopped moving when the doors to the flower shop opened and someone came in, ‘’oh, thanks, Bus!’’

Gideon glanced over his shoulder and froze just as his mate did the same by the door. He had a coffee in his hand and a stunned expression on his freckled face. Gideon quickly schooled his features into blankness. He had come to employ himself as a florist for the simple fact that the thought of being away from his mate was unbearable. Gideon by no means liked his fated choice, but if he stayed away much longer he wouldn’t be able to work or even function thanks to the lack of sleep. Still, he hadn’t expected to bump into him so quickly, ‘’n-new worker?’’ the boy asked in a hoarse voice, coming over to Carma and setting her coffee on the counter.

‘’Hopefully,’’ Carma gave him a wink, ‘’thanks for fetching my coffee. Got any jobs for tonight?’’

‘’Some cleaning down the street. And I’m doing bar with Jamie. It’s the masquerade rave today,’’ the boy kept his eyes well away from Gideon, who said nothing. He was probably terrified, having stolen his wallet and all. Somehow, that thought amused Gideon.

‘’You’re brave, hosting parties so soon after your raid-‘’ Carma cut off as yelling could be heard from outside. Gideon’s mate ran to the window, partially concealed by huge bouquets of tulips, and swore, ‘’shit, DeeDee’s parked out back again.’’

He was out of the flower shop in a flash. Gideon raised an eyebrow, ‘’his name is Bus?’’

‘’Buster,’’ Carma said with an easy smile, as if the yelling and chaos of the last building on Bay Street was the norm – which it probably was, ‘’everyone calls him that because he busts his ass at any job he can get. He’s a pretty hard working kid.’’

‘’So what’s his real name?’’

‘’Mickey,’’ Carma shrugged, ‘’why the interest?’’

Gideon shrugged back, ‘’no reason. So, about my shifts...’’

*~*~*

‘’Inspection.’’

Jamie glanced up at Diego Delarosa, standing in front of his counter, and raised an eyebrow, ‘’seriously?’’

‘’Council orders. This building is a safety hazard,’’ Delarosa was in full officer-mode, from tone to posture.

‘’You don’t look like a health and safety officer.’’

Delarosa was like a rock, ‘’apparently there’s some illegal activity going on around here.’’

Jamie scowled at him, ‘’I’m working.’’ Not strictly true – there were no customers in the coffee shop at the present moment.

‘’So am I. I’d like to do a quick check of the building’s premises, if you would please lead me out back.’’

‘’Fine,’’ Jamie snapped, ‘’but trust me, you won’t find anything,’’ DeeDee was at Raphael’s since the raid in late September. He stormed through the beaded curtain to the staircase leading upstairs, avoiding it to get to the doors that led out back. His mate followed him, all business.

Jamie shoved the doors open, ‘’there you go. Nothing but grass, grass and more fucking-‘’ Jamie’s voice lodged in his throat. He paled. Because DeeDee’s van was parked in her usual spot. Delarosa moved past Jamie without a word and the blond ran to catch up with him. ‘’w-wait, this is-‘’

Delarosa reached the van and rammed his fist into the metal doors a couple of times. A moment later DeeDee appeared, her glasses on her wrinkled face. A cloud of marihuana smoke billowed from around her, the smell unmistakable. Jamie flew in front of DeeDee, arms outstretched, ‘’officer, its medical-‘’

‘’Move aside, Jamie,’’ Delarosa said, deathly quiet, ‘’ma’am, you’re under arrest for selling and cultivating a class B drug.’’

Jamie swore in his head. Why did DeeDee have to come back, today of all days? The old lady stared the officer down. Then suddenly she whirled round and slammed the doors shut, ‘’you won’t get my babies!’’ she screeched from the other side of the doors.

Jamie moved to block Delarosa as the officer stepped forward, ‘’you can’t-‘’

‘’I’m just doing my job, Jamie,’’ Delarosa said sternly. ‘’move aside.’’

‘’She’s an old lady.’’

‘’So maybe she’ll get a more lenient sentence.’’

‘’No!’’ Jamie blocked Delarosa’s movement again, ‘’no, please, listen, just...’’ Jamie racked his brain for something to say. DeeDee would get a heart attack if she was dragged away from her van. She would not survive prison. She was too old for this and she was the only parent figure Jamie had, as much of a bad influence as she was. He would protect her with everything he had, like he would protect each and every one of his friends, ‘’we’re mates, aren’t we?’’

Finally, the mask of proper-police-officer Delarosa wore melted away, replaced by anger, ‘’oh, now you want to be mates? You don’t talk to me, you barely look at me, you can’t even speak to me without letting me know how much you despise me!’’ Jamie was surprised by the sudden outburst, ‘’you won’t even give me a chance, even though you could have landed a much worse match but when you need something, we’re _mates_!?’’

Jamie’s nostrils flared. His defense mechanism at being yelled at was to yell back, ‘’what do you expect? You’re a stranger, you’re trying to sniff out everything I do in my life and you’re like ten years older than me!’’

‘’Nine,’’ Delarosa snapped.

‘’Plus, now you’re trying to arrest DeeDee!’’

‘’I’m just trying to do my job, Jamie...’’ Delarosa was calming down now but Jamie was growing more hysterical.

‘’No! No, she’s not doing anything wrong! She’s growing a little weed – it’s not even harmful! You can’t arrest her over that!’’

‘’The law-‘’

‘’ _Fuck_ the law!’’ Jamie yelled, cheeks reddening with anger, ‘’she’s important to me,’’ his voice wobbled, ‘’if you take her...I...we...I could _never_ accept you...’’

With each word, Delarosa slumped inwardly, as if he was being physically punched. Jamie finally ran out of arguments. He stood there, breathing hard, with glassy eyes and red cheeks, ‘’alright,’’ Delarosa said quietly, knowing full well how weak he was as an officer. But he couldn’t help it. Not when doing his job would hurt his mate so much in this case, ‘’get her out of here. You have one chance. If she’s still parked here tomorrow, she’s going to get arrested.’’

Jamie stared at him, breathing hard. More than anything, Diego wanted to go to him, to fold him in his arms and calm him down. But it was true, what Jamie had said. Jamie was just a kid. A grown man like Diego, and a wolf at that...no wonder Jamie was so frightened of him. Because all this anger, all the degrading and annoyance and blockades against Diego came from Jamie being afraid. Of Diego’s nature and of what them being mates entitled. He could talk to Ellie. She was his alpha, she’d know what he should do...and maybe...he should just remove himself for now, ‘’there will be another inspection soon. Be ready,’’ Diego added quietly and turned to go.

Jamie’s breath didn’t calm till Delarosa disappeared around the corner of the building and Buster came running out of the back doors, ‘’the hell happened?’’ he demanded, running up to Jamie who finally dropped his hands, which he had been holding out like a human barricade between DeeDee and Delarosa, ‘’we need to get Dee to Raphael’s back yard,’’ he said, voice still shaking, ‘’and we need to make sure she _stays_ there.’’


	10. You Are a Dancing Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm so sorry about missing last week's update - now that Easter is done, updates will be more regular!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salazar5631 - I'm so suprprised you have Gideon in your top two, since most people seem to think he's a dick! But I'm so glad someone loves him!! Whose the other one in your top two? I'm also really happy you're getting used to the writing style, I can imagine it's hard to keep up with all the characters since I can barely do it at the beginning, even with all of them written out on a powerpoint :p *swag pose back* xD Thank you so much for your lovely review darling :*
> 
> SakusaKiyoomi - tbh I do enjoy writing Lirim a tad bit more (maybe because it's a bit easier) but I'm sorry about the shorter chapters - I'll defo try to get them a bit longer. This one is 5k words - let me know if it's a good length or if you want more/less so I can just adjust my plan for the chapters! Thank you so much for the constructive criticism and for your continuous support :* 
> 
> Fayenini - you're amazing too <3
> 
> sauna_of_the_soul - (awesome name btw) haha if they're killing you now then you'll be a straight up zombie by the end of this ;p Thank you for reviewing, it means so much!!
> 
> xiennary123 - I have to say, Delajamie sounds like the sassy name of some queen and I LOVE IT!! I feel you about the age gaps tho, mine was max 5 years but it's been gradually stretching since I've started writing more medieval based fics. ''holding hands! such blasphemy'' you never fail to make me laugh xD Thank you for always being here darling :*
> 
> Wr3n - alexus sounds like some emperor & gideuster like a beer brand and if that's not awesome, I don't know what is :p Also, Mart sounds like a shop but let's roll with it! xD Thanks for letting me know about the gay-guys-thinking-they're-straight trope, I actually don't read enough fics to know this is a trope. While it's normal that the guys are a bit like 'I don't like other men' I don't plan on playing on that TOO much so don't worry! Thank you so much for reviewing! 
> 
> Where_are_my_dragons - wow I'm really amazed at how you've picked Jamie apart. Most people here seem to sympathise with Diego (not a bad thing!) but you took on a completely different view and you've explained exactly what I wanted to convey through Jamie's reactions and just...wow, you're really perceptive. Thank you so much for that review! Also, thank you so much for continuing to read even if you didn't like Bay Street at first!!! You're awesome & I hope you find your dragons ;) 
> 
> FlufflePufflePonies - I FEEL YOU ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF WORK THO!! DW about not leaving a super review, you always review so diligently and in depth that I'm just grateful you're here to support me <3 Thank you for your continued support my darling :*
> 
> LimonT - YAS FOR DRAMA! Thank you for reviewing love <3
> 
> sourcandii - you can give Diego the hug ;) Thank you for your support!!

Gideon, though he didn’t show it much, was pretty happy that he had a new pack. Back in the werewolf reservoir he’d still been a kid, dropping out of his second year at university to pursue a modelling career his orthodox Jewish family was sceptical of. He’d been adopted by them and changed at three years old and, like most young werewolves, his family had been his first pack. As soon as the reservoir was opened, he ventured out into the human world, something he’d always dreamed of doing. The only setback was losing his pack. While he still had good contact with his family, most of who remained in his family home, the distance made it impossible for them to be a pack. Most wolves that left the reservoir found themselves pack-less. Finding Ellie and the others had been a relief. Alphas were pretty rare and a lot of packs were run by really strong betas, sometimes called pseudo-alphas, like Officer Diego Delarosa. But a pack led by an alpha was stronger, better knit and better controlled.

So, as Gideon made his way to Ellie’s apartment for the first official pack meeting, he was in pretty high spirits. Hands in the pockets of his pristine white jeans, he took a shortcut through one of the many alleyways that snaked around the city. He was giddy, like a little puppy. Finally, he was being independent. His parents had been sceptical and his four younger siblings had jeered that he’d come running right back with his tail between his legs, unable to find his own pack. Gideon loved his family – his parents, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins and, of course, his two brothers and two sisters, all adopted. In the werewolf world, especially in the reservoir, packs often clashed. There were nearly thrice as many orphaned pups as human children due to fights for dominance, territory or blood feuds. Those were quickly adopted – Gideon and his siblings had all been taken in by the infertile Mr and Mrs Reis. Gideon’s mother had been a lone wolf omega and was killed accidentally in a fight over game during a hunt. Due to that, his parents were fiercely protective of him. It got suffocating, eventually, to a twenty year old, especially since there was tension between the family’s beliefs and Gideon’s passions.

Finding his own pack, one that suited him, felt better than Gideon anticipated.

Gideon was three seconds away from whistling cheerfully when he heard it. His wolf hearing picked up on a wet, squishing sound followed by a low groan. Even though he knew he shouldn’t, he backtracked and pressed himself to a dusty wall, peeking into one of the offshoots of the alley he was walking down. In the dim, cramped space between a Chinese place and an apartment block in renovation. A man stood in the alley with his jeans and underwear around his ankles, hands on hips like some asshole in a porn movie, eyes closed, mouth pulled in a satisfied smirk as he groaned in pleasure. And on his knees in front of him...

Gideon’s eyes widened as he watched Buster suck the guy off, a second before his blood roared in his veins. His wolf, whom he usually had a good grip on, tried to push itself to the surface. Heat seared just under Gideon’s skin.  He didn’t even wince as his canines elongated and pricked his lips. The dull growl of his wolf clattered around the back of his mind, screaming at him to get his mate off his knees and wipe any trace of the man’s presence off him. Gideon’s own rational mind, stronger than his wolf instincts, was disgusted and shocked and...hurt? Why the hell was _he_ hurt!? Buster didn’t know him. Pointless hurting, pining and feeling miserably for himself was the job of his wolf, not of his rational mind.

Gideon was pulled out of his thoughts when the man groaned, louder than before, and Buster pulled back sharply. Come splattered on his cheek and he wiped it hastily with his sleeve. Below his bright blush, his freckled skin had an unhealthy parlour. He rose from his knees as the man quickly pulled up his underwear and jeans and dug out his wallet. Gideon gasped, quiet enough not to be heard, as he watched the man handed Buster a couple bills. He wasn’t Buster’s boyfriend. He was a _client_. Gideon felt sick. He’d heard Buster ‘busts’ his ass at different jobs but this...this was _low_. He backed out of the alley before either the man or Gideon’s mate emerged and speed-walked towards where Ellie had texted him she lived. The image of Buster on his knees in front of some man kept flashing in his mind. Anger, frustration and disgust coiled around in his stomach. He tried to push the image out of his mind, to calm down, but he couldn’t. Not even when he forced himself to actively navigate the streets, to enter the business district of the city, a couple blocks from the university. He didn’t even bother looking around as he entered a nice condo building and took the lift up to Ellie’s apartment.

As soon as Gideon, still shell-shocked, walked into a white and cream condo with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, Diego rose from one of the couches and wrinkled his nose, ‘’what’s happened to you? You smell as if you’ve just witnessed a murder.’’

‘’Something like that,’’ Gideon whispered.

‘’Alex, get him a beer,’’ Ellie said calmly in her melodic Russian accent, ‘’Gideon, come, sit down.’’

Alex obediently jumped over the couch and walked out of what looked like a living room. He must have been here long enough to look around, because he came back with a beer. Territory was important for wolves. Packs could have feuds lasting generations over stolen land and scraps often broke out from someone invading someone else’s space, however it was different for packs. Wolves were social animals – they needed attention, affection and companionship that packs provided, along with runs and order – once a pack was formed, they essentially became family. An alpha typically invited the pack over to familiarise themselves with the place that would now be their usual meeting spot. Once wolves formed a pack, there were essentially no boundaries and fights only broke out during challenges for dominance, usually, which was why having an alpha was extremely important.  Betas could argue over who had the last word but with an alpha around, that privilege was always theirs.

Gideon sank into one of the cream couches after Diego moved up and gave the space a pointed look. Diego was a couple years older than Gideon, but the latter was still a few inches taller. Jed March, a professor at the university, watched Gideon with faint worry in his blue eyes from the armchair. Since they were out of couches at that point, Fritz and his gang were sitting around each other on the floor. Ellie stood in the middle of the room with a beer in hand, ‘’did something happen, Gideon?’’ she asked levelly.

Even if Gideon would have wanted to share, which he didn’t, his voice would have failed him. He shook his head and Ellie nodded, ‘’we’re a pack now,’’ she addressed everyone, ‘’we trust and take care of each other. If any of you find yourselves in any type of trouble, I want you to tell me. However, if you don’t want to share,’’ Ellie looked at Gideon, ‘’then I will not force you.’’ Gideon lowered his eyes and clenched his fists to stop his fingers trembling. Now that the adrenaline induced by the shock was wearing off, he felt as if he hadn’t slept for two days straight.

‘’The full moon is coming up soon,’’ Ellie continued, ‘’there will not be a run.’’

‘’Huh? Why not?’’ the little kid from Fritz’s pack – Robbie, if Gideon remembered correctly from the introductions – demanded.

‘’Because,’’ Ellie was completely unfazed, ‘’from what I’ve found out, a few of us have found our mates. And I don’t think everyone was able to control themselves,’’ Fritz and Diego found random points in the room to look at, ‘’this full moon my apartment will be available to anyone who wants it. I’ll make sure you stay here through the night. We will run during the full moon after that, and if any of you will need, I will guard you once more,’’ Ellie looked around at her new pack, taking them in one by one. A cop and a cadet. Disciplined and trained, strong. They would be the foundations of the pack, along with her, even if Alex was essentially still a kid. Gideon – she hadn’t cracked him yet but he didn’t seem to be much of a trouble maker. Jed March...well, he seemed as level as she was. Her biggest concern was Fritz and his rag-tag group. And, of course, the mates, ‘’you’re in my pack now and I will not tolerate any behaviour that could lead to mistrust from the human community. If you choose to pursue your mates, do so in a polite and acceptable manner. No forcing and no scaring into submission. These relationships will have to be earned, and will not be handed to you because you’re wolves. If I see any red flags, in your behaviour towards your mates or your pack, you’re out. Understood?’’

They all nodded. Diego spoke up, ‘’Fritz, since you and your kids are pack now, I’ll do my best to protect all of you, but the station has noticed you and your... _activities_. Don’t expect me to bend the law to accommodate any drug dealing or assaults,’’ he leaned back, ‘’god knows I do it often enough,’’ he added bitterly.

Ellie nodded, ‘’for now, you all have to prove that you can belong to a civilised pack. But, what will be harder, you must also make sure humans don’t regret opening the werewolf reservoir.’’

*~*~*  


‘’I hate compulsory education,’’ Val complained as she and her friends walked down Bay Street to their apartment block, ‘’I don’t need sums and fucking Shakespeare.’’

‘’Just fists and a foul mouth, eh?’’ Jamie wiggled his eyebrows at her while wrapping his jacket closer around him. The group unanimously decided Jamie’s coat was the ugliest out of all of theirs – it looked like it belonged to someone during the First World War, old, tweed and on top of that decorated with a foul brown and orange chequered pattern. Strangely, Jamie seemed attached to it. 

‘’Oh,’’ Gus shielded his forehead automatically as the first droplets of rain patted on his brown hair, ‘’it’s raining!’’

‘’Shit,’’ Jamie grumbled miserably. His hair curled hopelessly when exposed to water, ‘’I wish we had a...’’ his mouth dropped open when a fancy, immaculately polished red Mercedes Benz roared down the road and parked haphazardly right next to them, ‘’...car.’’ Jamie finished, stunned.

The window rolled down and a beautiful red-head with matching lips and sunglasses (despite the cloudy, miserable sky) glanced at the trio frozen on the sidewalk, ‘’get in, Valentina,’’ she said in a calm, accented voice.

‘’This,’’ Val recovered first from her shock of seeing such a nice car in their neighbourhood, ‘’is Elizabeth Winter. I told you about her,’’ she put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow, ‘’and I thought I told _you_ to leave me alone.’’

Ellie inclined her head, ‘’it’s a pleasure,’’ she said gravelly to Jamie and Gus, and then, ‘’get in the car, Valentina. Let’s have a chat.’’

‘’This is the part where I get kidnapped and you have to gather enough money for my ransom,’’ Val said, unimpressed, crossing her arms over her chest. She hated being told what to do.

Jamie shrugged, ‘’I hope you like Miss Elizabeth Winter, because I don’t have that kind of money,’’ he sent her a sly grin, ‘’besides, if I did, I’d buy myself one of these babies,’’ he pointed to the red Mercedes.

The rain came down harder and Jamie swore. Ellie nodded encouragingly, ‘’come on. I’ll drop you home after.’’

‘’Sorry, guys,’’ Val cringed away from the freezing droplets, ‘’enjoy your walk,’’ she walked around the car and slid into the passenger’s side. Ellie pulled away from the curb immediately, leaving Gus and Jamie to soak, ‘’alright, Miss Russian Spy, clearly our last conversation left space for interpretation.’’

‘’Valentina-‘’

‘’It’s Val,’’ the human girl snapped at her mate, ‘’unless you want me to go around calling you Yeli-Jelly, or whatever your name is.’’

‘’Yelizaveta,’’ Ellie said, smiling lightly. She remained cool and composed, as if Val was a cute puppy yapping round her ankles, ‘’and I don’t mind if you call me that. But I’ll respect you wishes, Val.’’

Valentina bristled. She hated feeling like a child and her aggression, when faced with Ellie’s serene calm, made her feel like a stupid brat, ‘’what do you want?’’

‘’What do I want?’’ Ellie mused, turning into a different street, ‘’right now? Coffee. So we’re going to get some.’’

‘’You know what I mean,’’ Val snapped. Ellie was quickly getting on her nerves.

‘’There are a great many things I want, Val.’’

‘’Oh, blood hell, are you Gandalf or something? Do you only speak in riddles or are you capable of answering a question normally?’’

Ellie sighed, ‘’fine. I want you to stop working at the fights.’’

Val groaned, ‘’right, you can just drop me off right here by that lamp because it ain’t happening, sweetheart.’’

‘’Coffee, coffee, coffee...’’ Ellie hummed under her nose, looking around the street, ‘’ah, there’s one!’’

Val made an impatient noise under her breath, ‘’why do you care anyway?’’

‘’About you risking your health and personal well being every night for money?’’ Ellie parked the Mercedes in an empty spot on the curb by the Costa she stopped by. Val didn’t mention that she could have just gone to the coffee shop in the last building on Bay Street, ‘’come on,’’ Ellie slipped from the car, which Val couldn’t exactly occupy without the owner, so she followed the wolf, who casually locked her vehicle and walked inside the Costa. Val joined her at the back of the queue.

‘’I’m not quitting my job,’’ Val told her.

‘’I figured you’d say that,’’ Ellie pulled her glasses up onto the top of her head, exposing startlingly blue eyes.

‘’You don’t seem bothered. If you don’t care, why are you dragging me around?’’ Val was growing more and more irritated by the second. She couldn’t crack Ellie. She clearly didn’t give up on her mate, like Val had told her to; on the other hand, she also didn’t seem obsessed with monitoring her.

Ellie shrugged her slim shoulders, hidden under a neat burgundy blazer, ‘’I don’t know if I like you yet.’’

Val bristled again, ‘’I definitely know I don’t like you.’’

To Val’s surprise, Ellie just chuckled at that and shook her head, ‘’what do you want?’’ she asked, walking up to the counter as the person in front of her walked away with their coffee.

‘’To go home.’’

Another chuckle, ‘’we’ll have two cappuccinos to go, please,’’ she told the barista, before turning back towards Val, ‘’what if I found you a better gig?’’

Val snorted, ‘’sorry to break it to you, sunshine, but my skill set is rather limited.’’

‘’It’ll be somewhere where you’d learn,’’ Ellie said casually.

‘’Oh? And where’d that be?’’

‘’My company.’’

Val sighed, ‘’of course you’re a successful businesswoman.’’

Ellie raised a red eyebrow, ‘’you couldn’t tell?’’ she asked with a teasing smile, ‘’I’m serious, Val. I’m not only offering you this because we’re mates. I think you’re a pretty bright girl and, what’s important, I’ve watched you fight – you know how to pick your opponents. You’re exactly what the company needs.’’

‘’Jesus, what kind of company do you run?’’

‘’It’s a mating company,’’ Ellie said with a smile, ‘’we do our best to match up couples that we expect are mates with a high success rate. If you can pick your opponents by information you found out and appearance, you’d be pretty good at matching up people based only on a short description and a photo, I think. You’d of course start as a temp and we’d see how you do. Your...connection, shall we say, to me, will not keep you in position. You’ll have to work hard but it’d be less dangerous than your fighting, and with time it’ll pay rather well,’’ she took two steaming cups from the barista and handed one to a startled Val, ‘’well?’’

Val didn’t get the chance to answer.

‘’ _Sestra!_ ’’ came a bright, chipped voice.

Ellie closed her eyes briefly, as if the voice was the equivalent of an alarm clock going off early in the morning, ‘’ _Velikiy_ ,’’ she grumbled before turning, ‘’Tatiana! What a coincidence!’’ she said with a big fake smile. Val turned, too.

A gorgeous young woman was making her way to Ellie. She had brown hair tied in a neat bun at the back of her head, the same blue eyes as Ellie and the build of a ballet dancer, hugged tightly by a beautiful black coat trimmed with fur. She reached Ellie and the two women put their hands at each other’s elbows, pressing kisses into their cheeks with fake big smiles, exchanging a few quick words in a melodic language that must have been Russian. The customers glanced over, startled and amazed at the view of two such beautiful women. The woman released Ellie and her blue eyes turned to Val, ‘’why, who is this _malen’kaya mysh’_?’’

‘’This _malen’kaya mysh’_ is Val,’’ Ellie said curtly.

‘’Your mate, Yelizaveta!’’ the woman said in a high, accented voice filled with laughter – mocking or genuine, Val had no idea.

Ellie gestured to the girl, ‘’Val, this is my little sister, Tatiana Ignatiev.’’

‘’Oh, it’s so lovely you found your mate,’’ Tatiana said, her voice as far from genuine as you could get, ‘’maybe now you’ll consider handing the company over to me, _sestra_?’’

Ellie’s blue eyes clouded over and Val had a feeling she had just stepped in the middle of a family feud, ‘’mother gave the company to me as the elder,’’ she said shortly.

‘’But not as the smarter,’’ Tatiana said with a high, gritting giggle.

‘’Enough,’’ Ellie put her sunglasses back on, ‘’I will not discuss this with you again. It was lovely seeing you,’’ she added in a tone that signified she’d be more pleased watching tumbleweed roll across an empty highway, ‘’let’s go, Val.’’

‘’Nice meeting you, _malen’kaya mysh’_ ,’’ Tatiana called after them, completely unfazed.

Val looked at her over her shoulder and gave Tatiana Ignatiev her coldest look, ‘’don’t talk about me in a language I can’t understand. It’s rude,’’ she said before hurrying back out after Ellie.

‘’Well, that should give her something to sulk about for a couple hours,’’ the red head said, but she didn’t seem amused. Her mouth was in a tight line, ‘’I’m sorry you had to witness that.’’

‘’Compared to what I deal with on a daily basis, that was like an argument between two babies just learning to talk,’’ Val shrugged, ‘’thanks for the coffee. I’ll get going now.’’

‘’I’ll drive you,’’ Ellie assured and since it was still drizzling lightly, Val didn’t complain. The drive back to Bay Street was silent. Val drank her coffee. She was a sucker for freebies, like all the kids at the last building on Bay Street. This time, Ellie parked neatly at the curb before the building – right behind the car of Diego Delarosa.

‘’Oh, he’s here again,’’ Val rolled her eyes.

‘’Isn’t that Diego’s car?’’

‘’You know him?’’ Val asked, surprised.

‘’He just joined my pack,’’ Ellie answered.

‘’Wait... _your_ pack?’’

‘’Mmmh. Seems like I’m the only alpha around here...has he been hanging out here a lot?’’

‘’Yeah. The barista is his mate and he’s kind of been stalking him,’’ Val said. She wasn’t exactly surprised that Ellie was an alpha. She seemed like a leader. Still, thinking someone as muscular and strong-looking as Delarosa answered to her...

‘’I told him not to be a creep,’’ Ellie sighed, before honking her horn, long and loud.

‘’Does he even know it’s you?’’ Val cringed at the sound.

‘’Oh, he knows, alright. He could smell me from down the road.’’ Indeed, under Ellie’s persistent honking Diego Delarosa’s car started and he hurriedly drove away. Ellie turned to Val, ‘’think about my offer. It’s a seriously good opportunity, for both of us. I need someone like you and you could use a stable job. Do you have a phone?’’

‘’Uh...no?’’

‘’Fine,’’ Ellie nodded, ‘’I’ll come see you soon, then. To see what you decided.’’

Val looked at her uncertainly. It felt so weird to have someone want her around because of what she could do...someone outside her group. But Ellie was right. If it was as simple as she said, then her offer would indeed be a good opportunity. Val nodded, ‘’yeah. Cool,’’ she said awkwardly before slipping from the car. Ellie drove away before Val even got to the entrance to the coffee shop.

*~*~*

After what happened at the Border, Art had done his best to avoid Jed March. The blazer jacket his teacher had given him that night lay in the corner of Art’s room under the car garage, washed with the last of his change at the Laundromat, neatly folded and abandoned until Art found it in him to give it back. But it had been days since DeeDee left the Bay Street area for good and the issue of the building had come to a standstill. The council was silent but Art knew soon enough they’d get another notice. Which was why when Jed finished his lesson for the day and the kids from the community college left, Buster loitering outside, waiting for Art, the dancer walked up to his mate’s desk, where Jed was gathering his papers as always, ‘’um...Mr March?’’

‘’Hello, Art,’’ Jed said in his usual voice, but Art didn’t miss the way he didn’t look at him, instead concentrating on sliding their short essays into his folder, ‘’can I help you with something?’’

‘’I...uh...the, um...weed...is gone,’’ he barely got the words out of him. The night at the club flashed behind his eyes. The feel of Jed’s hard-on beneath him as he ground his hips,  the feral growl of his voice that had sent a shiver down Art’s spine, his kindness afterwards...as if his stripping being found out by his teacher wasn’t embarrassing enough, ‘’so...you can help us with the building now.’’

‘’Ah, yes. The building,’’ Jed straightened and rubbed his temple, ‘’you’re still set on saving it?’’ he finally looked at Art but Art glanced down, unable to meet his gaze.

‘’Yes.’’ He said firmly but quietly.

‘’There’s still a lot to be done with it. I know the marihuana wasn’t the worst of it,’’ Jed said sternly, ‘’I’ll see what I can do.’’

‘’Thank you,’’ Art said and turned to go.

He was stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist. He turned back to his teacher, surprised, their eyes finally meeting, ‘’is that all you’ve got to wear?’’ Jed asked gently, looking at the old-as-time green, knee-length coat Art wore.

‘’I-It’s pretty warm,’’ Art said uneasily.

Jed let go of his hand and leaned down, digging something out of his bag. Art blinked his grey eyes, surprised further when he found a warm, wool scarf wrapped around his neck, ‘’we don’t want you to catch a cold,’’ Jed said in a voice that made it sound like he’d do it for any of his students, but Art still blushed under the scarf wrapped all the way up to his nose.

‘’Thanks,’’ he squeaked and practically ran out of the classroom, nearly slamming right into Buster.

‘’Whoa, hey, what’s chasing you...and where’d you get that scarf?’’

‘’Just walk,’’ Art grabbed his arm and pulled him along, ‘’we still need to pick up the cake.’’

‘’Oh, shit, I nearly forgot!’’

*~*~*

‘’SURPRISE!’’

‘’Whoa, such a surprise,’’ Jamie rolled his eyes but he couldn’t keep the grin off his face, ‘’it’s almost like we don’t do this for everyone’s birthday.’’

‘’Don’t rain on the parade, Jamie,’’ Val scowled before smiling at their friends, gathered around their usual booth at the cheap burger place they treated themselves to once a month, if they could afford it, ‘’thanks, guys!’’

Val and Jamie slid into the booth, next to Gus and Raphael respectively, eyeing the multitude of fries, fizzy drinks and burgers laid out on the table. Gus produced two Tesco value muffins, one blueberry, one chocolate, ‘’we wanted to put in candles but the boss said it’d be a fire hazard,’’ he said with a smile, putting the muffins before Jamie and Val, who always celebrated their birthday together, having been born rather close together, ‘’happy birthday!’’

‘’Please don’t sing!’’ Jamie blurted a second before his friends belted out a very loud ‘happy birthday’, led by Raphael that made the whole joint look over curiously. Some even joined in.

‘’Now the presents,’’ Gus clapped his hands excitedly. Despite not having much spending money, all six took pleasure in giving each other presents on Christmas and birthdays – they were usually useless and cheap but sentimental trinkets. Gus dug in his pockets, ‘’Jamie, this is for you. Happy seventeenth!’’ Jamie stared as Gus produced a puffy pink ball attached to a chain, ‘’you can attach it to the zipper of your bag, if you ever get one!’’ he said proudly.

Jamie took the atrocity from him, ‘’well, you just ensured I’ll never get a bag,’’ he said, fingering the fluffy ball. He gave Gus a wink, ‘’I just might sleep next to it, though.’’

Gus grinned and pulled something else out of his pocket, ‘’and Val, this is for you.’’

Val blinked at the oval shaped object in her hand. It was a hairbrush, one of those that you opened up to find a mirror on one side and a retractable brush on the other. It was black with purple jewels at the back of it. Val usually got funny and strange gifts. One year she got a six pack of ginger beer (she didn’t even like ginger beer!) and on a different occasion, she got a whole bunch of those eggs from the fifty-pence machine that dispensed temporary tattoos (she had used every single one and even managed to tattoo Buster’s butt-cheeks when he was asleep). But she never got pretty things, ‘’oh, Gus...’’ she said, opening and closing the hair-brush in awe, ‘’it’s so...’’ she turned to her friend, threw an arm around his shoulders and pressed a loud, smacking kiss right on his lips, ‘’you’re an angel,’’ she said fondly.

Gus beamed at her.

Raphael spread his hands, ‘’you guys get free tattoos, as always.’’

Val already had two, one on each forearm – a carefully inked triangle holding a mountain and the galaxy on her left and a coloured rose on her right that had Raphael grumbling the whole way about Val wasting his coloured ink. Jamie only had one, a fir tree tattooed down the middle of his spine that he had begged Raphael for when he had been fifteen and finally received when he turned sixteen, ‘’he’s so lazy! He never goes present hunting!’’ Art protested but he grinned. He himself had a whooping three of Raphael’s tattoos on his body – a shooting arrow behind his ear, two tiny feathers on his wrist and an intricate stag on his side, ‘’here, Jamie. Cherish this,’’ Art produced what looked like a small pink lump.

Jamie gasped and took it from Art, ‘’is this...Kim Jong-un!?’’ he asked in disbelief. Jamie had an impressive collection of dictator erasers, including Hitler and Mussolini, that were only found in limited edition, super-spicy crisps he bought religiously when he had the money in hopes of finding his prized erasers.

‘’I burned my throat out looking for that,’’ Art said gravelly. Because, of course, he’d never waste food, even if the food in question was a packet of double chilli crisps.

‘’You’re the best,’’ Jamie admired eraser-Kim.

‘’Nothing as fancy for you, Val,’’ Art said with a grin, tossing her a small can of deodorant.

‘’Wow – a hair-brush and now deodorant? Are you trying to tell me something?’’ Val said in a fake-irritated voice before grinning, ‘’thanks, Art. I was running out.’’

‘’I know,’’ Art said pointedly, ‘’I had to sneak into your room and go through your stuff till I figured what you needed.’’

‘’My turn! My turn!’’ Buster said excitedly before Val could yell at Art for breaking and entering. He tossed two packets at Jamie and Val. The packet of mini kit-kats hit Jamie straight in the forehead but Val skilfully caught her M&Ms.

‘’Whoop! Here’s a stash till Christmas!’’ Val said.

‘’Lucky. Us Spring kids have to rations ours for ten months,’’ Raphael grinned.

‘’Boo-hoo, poor you,’’ Val teased.

‘’Oh!’’ Raphael remembered, ‘’but DeeDee sends you this and says she wishes she could be parked back home. She says my back yard is cramped,’’ Raphael passed Val and Jamie two rolled joints.

‘’Nice!’’ Val said, pocketing hers before pulling out the box she had tucked under her arm and hidden on her and Jamie’s walk to the burger place, ‘’here, Jamie. Happy birthday.’’

‘’I thought we said we’re not getting each other presents!’’ Jamie exclaimed.

Val shrugged, ‘’I lied.’’

‘’Good, cause so did I,’’ Jamie said and tossed Val something small and shiny.

‘’Sweet!’’ Val caught the small silver ring, studded with tiny, razor sharp points at the front and back skilfully, pulling it onto her finger next to other numerous cheap, metal rings. Jamie set the box of new fairy lights for his hut carefully next to his feet under the table, ‘’let’s eat!’’ he said. He and his friends dug in.

‘’So, how does it feel being an old nineteen year old, Valentina?’’ Jamie asked with a mouth full of chips.

‘’Pretty darn good, James,’’ Val said, munching happily on her burger, ‘’how does it feel being seventeen, dancing queen?’’

‘’DON’T SING!’’ Jamie yelled.

He was drowned out by his friends hollering, ‘’ _you are a dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen...!_ ’’

*~*~*  


Late that night, after Jamie’s and Val’s birthday party ended, Buster sneaked into his aunt’s tiny room. It was dark and she seemed to be asleep, so he tip-toed to the bedside table and set the week’s money on it.

Carolyn stirred, ‘’Mihael?’’

‘’Hey,’’ Buster said softly, ‘’sorry for waking you. How do you feel?’’

‘’Better. Is that...?’’

‘’Yeah. Give it to the housekeeper tomorrow to buy your medicine, okay?’’

Carolyn sighed in the darkness, ‘’you work too hard. Where did you get that amount in such a short time, anyway?’’ she glanced at the wad of bills.

‘’I was cleaning houses,’’ Buster lied. He’d finished cleaning as soon as the agency found a couple new, full time girls to do the jobs two weeks prior. But he wasn’t about to tell his aunt about his less-than-honourable ventures with men and women alike. It was the only thing he could do when he was missing a couple tenners for his aunt’s rent and meds.  

Carolyn shook her head, ‘’I wish you could just be a normal kid.’’

‘’Hey, I wouldn’t be Buster if I didn’t bust my ass!’’ Buster said with a grin, ‘’sleep. I’ll come back in a couple days. And make sure the housekeeper buys that medicine!’’


	11. Dance, Fucker, Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guyss! Thanks so much for the reviews & the general support my darlings!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FlufflePufflePonies - WOI ORCHESTRA PRACTICE THAT SOUND SO COOL~ What instrument do ya play? You finished Dynasty iN ONE DAY!? Wow kudos to you my g. About your question - yeah, Ellie has that kind of family-respect power thing, at least on a daily-basis, but subconciously all the wolves know that Ellie is the strongest of them all as an alpha so she subconciously exerts power. So she can keep order and peace in the pack because the others listen to her on an instinctive basis. And yup, you're right - Ellie is 24. Hahaha, you're right, Gideon is so much better at controlling himself than Diego is - tho Giddy was changed at 3 years old so I guess it balances out ;) Anyway, thank you so much for your amazing support for all my stories - seriously, how do you manage to make such great reviews for all of them!?!? You're the best ;*
> 
> Wr3n - Raphritz, hehe, it kind of sounds like a salted cracker brand? Love it! I feel like you're just here rooting for all the lady-couples, yesss b!! Yaaa some snakes are bare cute - btw I googled the the sun bear and I was laughing for a straight minute xD I would never hurt Alfie like that!!! Ohh, but I can see so many memes made out of it tho!! As for your question, Ellie & Tatiana are Russian. Anyway, thank you for reviewing & supporting!!
> 
> ArumaR - thank you for reviewing, your comment was lovely <3 I'll try to do my best for Gideon & Buster!
> 
> SakusaKiyoomi - haha I love how you analyse each chapter - indeed, like diffusing a bomb! It gives me a lot of insight on what I've written. Thank you for always being here with a kind word darling <3
> 
> BAEcml - thank you for your continuous support!!
> 
> xiennary123 - my dudeee! You're heree! I love youu! Acc, fun fact, Diego couldn't be arrested for pedophilia because the age of consent in England is 16 years old, so Jamie would be considered a consenting person in case of any smut :p Haha I knew you'd love Gus the most, you always go for the pure ones xD Thank you so much for always being here sis <3 
> 
> Skyes - Thank you for your support!! 
> 
> And thank you to everyone else supporting me in any way <3!!

‘’Coffee, tea or hot chocolate,’’ Jamie snapped, ‘’choose.’’

Robbo the Hobo, dressed in so many layers you could barely see his face, tapped the few coins he had dug out of his pockets with a broken nail, ‘’I want a latte!’’

‘’Since when have your tastes become so acquired, Rob?’’ Jamie rolled his eyes at one of his regulars.

‘’The Starbucks in the town centre does Lattes!’’ Robbo said, annoyed.

‘’Yeah, well, we’re not a Starbucks and I’ll be drawn and quartet before we are. If you want a Latte, go there!’’

‘’No way, man! They charge over three quid!’’

‘’Well then,’’ Jamie gave him a killer smile, ‘’coffee, tea or hot chocolate?’’

‘’Coffee,’’ Robbo grumbled, knowing he’d never win with Jamie.

Marianna chuckled, watching the proceedings, ‘’still terrorising your customers, Jamie?’’

The blond boy looked up from where he was putting coffee granules into a plastic cup, ‘’oh, yeah – why, want to be terrorised?’’ he asked with a grin, before nodding at her boyfriend, ‘’hey, Marlo.’’

‘’Yo,’’ the dark haired boy nodded at the doors behind him, ‘’is the cop car new decoration?’’

Jamie shook his head, ‘’don’t ask,’’ he grabbed a broomstick from where it rested against the wall behind the counter and slammed the butt into the ceiling a couple times, ‘’GET GUS!’’ he yelled. The regulars dotted around the coffee shop didn’t react but a couple uni students flinched.

A second later Raphael’s roar, from where he worked in A Touch of Ink above the coffee shop, shook the building, ‘’GUS!!’’

Jamie just finished passing Robbo the Hobo his coffee when Gus appeared. His face lit up when he saw his sister, ‘’Mari!’’ and then, ‘’Marlo!’’ he bounced over to give his sister a hug and then embraced her boyfriend, ‘’what are you two doing here?’’

‘’We were in the neighbourhood,’’ Marianna shrugged, ‘’Jamie, coffee?’’

‘’Sure.’’

Gus led Marianna and Marlo over to one of the tables and they sat down on mismatched chairs, ‘’so how’s that Alex kid?’’ Marianna asked her brother.

Gus shrugged, ‘’he’s nice,’’ he said vaguely. The whole situation embarrassed him. He raised his eyes to his sister, ‘’did you...tell mom?’’

Marianna shook her head and smiled at Jamie as he dropped off their drinks and returned behind the bar, ‘’you know I wouldn’t, Gus.’’

‘’She’d go batshit,’’ Marlo said pointedly.

‘’Marlo!’’ Marianna protested.

‘’What?’’ Marlo put his hands at shoulder level, ‘’it’s true! I’m not surprised you were so eager to move in with me – and I’m not surprise Gus left.’’

‘’He didn’t leave, she-‘’

‘’How is she?’’ Gus asked quickly, cutting his sister off. He wrapped his hands around his tea to stop them trembling. It was difficult to talk about his parents, especially his mother.

Marianna studied her little brother for a moment, before sighing, ‘’batshit. As always. You know how she gets closer to Christmas.’’

‘’It’s October,’’ Marlo’s voice was reproachful.

‘’Shush, Marlo,’’ Marianna gave him a look, ‘’you don’t know how she gets.’’

Marlo raised an eyebrow, ‘’I’ve been dating you since high school. I kind of do.’’

‘’Well, whatever,’’ Marianna waved her hand as if she could wave the subject of the conversation away; Marlo caught his girlfriend’s hand and laced their fingers on the table, ‘’I think you should stick with Alex. He seems sweet.’’

‘’Yeah, I’d like to meet him. It’s about time you got a boyfriend,’’ Marlo gave Gus a grin.

‘’Not happening,’’ Gus stared at his tea, ‘’he’s getting dispatched in the summer...starting anything would be...’’ he trailed off.

Marianna winced, ‘’um...long distance relationships?’’

‘’Those never work,’’ Marlo said and glared at his girlfriend when she kicked him under the table.

‘’Its fine,’’ Gus said, forcing a smile, ‘’let’s talk about something else. How’s work?’’

*~*~*

‘’Hey, do you want a coffee or something?’’

Gideon felt his mate – Mickey, Carma had said his name was – coming up the stairs before he entered the flower shop on the first floor of the last building on Bay Street and posed the question to the dark skinned girl behind the counter. He was in the corner of the small shop, picking out flowers for the bridal bouquet that was meant to be ready for a wedding at two pm. Surprisingly, Gideon found he liked working in the flower shop. Modelling was his forte but the flowers smelt nice and Carma didn’t bother him much, both lost in arranging, watering and ordering flowers. And there was Mickey’s scent – Gideon would never admit it, but the omnipresent, strange sun-sea-air-fizzy-drinks scent was soothing and pleasant, spread all over the building in which Mickey lived. But as he entered the flower shop, Gideon subtly turned away. The image of Mickey on his knees in the alleyway still made Gideon shiver. He refused to think of him as ‘Buster’, not when he busted his ass on jobs like that. He refused to think about him in general, but his mind had other ideas. Even when he was arranging flowers, Mickey was always on the back of his mind.

‘’Oh, sure, thanks!’’ Carma said, surprised but pleased by the offer, ‘’not working today?’’ she asked, digging out her purse from under the counter where she had been placing orders for winter bulbs.

‘’I’m doing bar with Jamie later tonight,’’ he said, taking the money.

Gideon ruffled his hands through a box of dahlias he was kneeling by, hoping Mickey would just go away and not bother him. But his scent grew stronger as he approached Gideon, going from his nose straight to his stomach. It settled there in a gentle heat as Mickey stopped in front of him, ‘’d-do you want anything?’’

Gideon didn’t miss the way Mickey’s voice trembled slightly. He rose to his full whooping height of six-foot-two that sometimes guaranteed him a modelling job on the spot. Buster, a mere five-foot-nine by the looks of it, swallowed nervously. Gideon raised a dark, un-dyed eyebrow, ‘’my ID.’’

Mickey flinched, a tell-tale sign of guilt, but quickly said, ‘’I-I don’t have your ID.’’

He’d given himself away in about ten different ways – his voice quivered, his cheeks coloured, and he didn’t seem confused as to why Gideon would ask him about ID in the first place... ‘’well, whatever,’’ Gideon said, uninterested. Mickey looked up at him and an image flashed in Gideon’s mind. Not of him on his knees in front of a different man, but on his knees in front of Gideon, looking up with those big, brown eyes, that blush on those freckled cheeks... Gideon wrinkled his nose in order to hide any kind of reaction that might have leaked out onto his face, ‘’and I don’t drink cheap coffee, but thanks.’’

‘’O-oh, then-‘’

‘’I have work to do,’’ Gideon said shortly and walked past Mickey. He busied himself with flowers and didn’t react when Mickey left. He sent the coffee up with a mildly annoyed, pale blond-haired kid that Gideon recognised as Diego’s mate.

Mickey didn’t come back up.

*~*~*

Since their dinner at the end of September, Fritz hadn’t seen Raphael. He was busy with his own pack. Finding an alpha was a relief. He could step down a little and just worry about organising the pack on daily matters. If his omega-nature came out and the pack thought him too weak to lead, at least they wouldn’t fall apart – they’d still be part of Elizabeth Winter’s pack. Since their hunt for a pack had been sorted, and no threat from a different gang found, Fritz put all his strength and attention to making the abandoned warehouse the wolves squatted in as homey as possible. This involved stealing a whole bunch of pillows and blankets, kitchen appliances, furniture... Neta might not have been awfully social, but she was great at picking locks and people weren’t exactly going to call the cops saying, ‘hi, I think someone might have stolen my blanket’. By the beginning of October, the warehouse was slowly becoming a home for the pack, but because Fritz had to organise most things – Robbie was a kid, Dom was a stoner and Rosita couldn’t pick locks – he hadn’t had the time to even see Raphael. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, that was taking a toll on him. His body craved his mate, and Fritz spent so much time trying to push down the sexual aspect of it that the emotional need kept slipping from his grip.

So when one October afternoon, right after lunch, Raphael showed up on the doorstep of the Warehouse, Fritz nearly flung himself into his arms. _The fuck, dude? You’re a gangster, not a princess_... he told himself, fingers tight on the edge of the sliding doors of the warehouse, grounding himself before his instincts made him do something stupid and humiliating, ‘’hey,’’ he said, managing to keep his cool.

‘’Hey,’’ Raphael said back. Fritz glanced him over. He looked as he always did – _good_. Tall, his skin a honey brown even with the shitty weather, black hair a mess atop his head, an old, slightly too short bomber jacket exposing one of his tattooed wrists and the mountain range on the thumb of his other hand. Fritz’s skin heated up and he concentrated on keeping a tab on his instincts as Raphael said causally, ‘’I hadn’t seen you in a while. I figured I’d see how you were doing.’’

Fritz jabbed a thumb behind him. After the initial reaction of his body, his instincts settled. He felt better instantly – not so tired. Kind of...warm and fuzzy? ‘’we’re about to do game night. You any good at monopoly?’’

Raphael grinned, ‘’no.’’

‘’Good, cause I don’t let competition join,’’ Fritz said and ventured back into the warehouse, leaving the doors open for Raphael. The human stepped inside and slid the warehouse door shut.

He whistled appreciatively as he entered the main room of the warehouse, where he’d had dinner with Fritz after being kidnapped. The empty space was now taken up by armchairs, nests of cushions and bean bag chairs, even a whole couch... the pack sat around on said bean bag chairs. Sid, the pretty man with Asian features, was carefully counting out paper money, ‘’one more player, Sid,’’ Fritz said easily.

Dom, the druggie with hair like he’d just got electrocuted, looked over from where he lay on the couch, apparently not playing. An unlit joint hung from his lips. Pink-haired Rosita threw her arms in the air, ‘’Raphael!’’

‘’Thought we’d seen the last of you,’’ sixteen year old, red-head Graham took her money from Sid as Fritz and Raphael sat down.

‘’You’ve really done the place up, huh?’’

‘’It’s awesome, isn’t it?’’ fourteen year old Robbie grinned. He wore a baseball cap even indoors but Fritz kissed his teeth and swiped it off his head.

‘’Robbie, I told you that’s bad manners.’’

‘’I don’t think you grasp what being a gangster is, Fritz,’’ Sid said in a soft, fond voice, accompanied by a smile. He glanced at Raphael with dark eyes, passing him his carefully counted-out money, ‘’I haven’t spoken to you before. Sorry. I was trying to figure you out that first time. You seem alright, though.’’

Raphael nodded, taking the money, ‘’thanks,’’ he glanced around, ‘’so...how is the alpha hunt going?’’

‘’We’ve found one!’’ Robbie said, eyes sparkling with sudden excitement, ‘’we’re now part of the Winter pack.’’

Raphael frowned, ‘’wait...Winter as in...Ellie Winter?’’ Jamie and Gus had told them about Val being picked up by her mystery mate and when she came home, Val had finally told them her name.

‘’You know her?’’ Fritz asked, surprised.

‘’Not really,’’ Raphael said vaguely, ‘’anyway, let’s play.’’

He quickly learned that playing with Fritz’s pack was like playing with...well, a gang. There was scamming, dirty deals, money passed behind backs and illegal trade as well as threatening and bribes. Raphael, who had played monopoly a couple times when he was younger but had never been good at it, found himself losing but enjoying himself. Robbie lost first and, like most kids going through puberty, he got moody, ‘’it’s just a game, Robbie,’’ Graham said, while simultaneously hungrily counting through all the money she had acquired from her various possessions. She somehow managed to drag a pension from Sid, paid once every two rounds, for his hotels and she had a 50% discount on most of Raphael’s possessions due to him not being to cash out when walking into her three-house possession a couple rounds back.

‘’C’mere, Robbie,’’ Fritz said. For most of the game, he had been grinning or smiling, which made Raphael look over at him curiously every once in a while. Now Raphael watched surprised as the fourteen year old crawled over and sat grumpily in Fritz’s lap, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting, glaring at Rosita, who had ultimately made him go bankrupt. Fritz put an arm around him and rested his chin atop his head, playing with his other hand. Robbie played sulkily with the braided bracelets on Fritz’s wrist. Fritz noticed Raphael’s curious look and shrugged, ‘’wolves are big on physical affection, especially within a pack.’’

‘’Oh,’’ Raphael said. A strange, soft warmth pooled in his stomach, ‘’you’re kind of like the big brother, huh.’’

Rosita snorted, ‘’more like the mother...oi, Graham, stop paying me less than you’re supposed to! _I can count_!’’

‘’So you’d like it if, I don’t know, I petted you or something?’’

Fritz gave him a murderous smile, ‘’pet me and I’ll break all your fingers.’’

Raphael laughed, ‘’noted.’’

*~*~*

That night, the Crypt was packed.

Jed, going off his last experience in a club, had dressed accordingly – at least he hoped he had. He’d worn a simple black t-shirt, despite the chill, jeans and he’d combed his hair, which usually slicked back naturally, over his forehead before mussing it up. At least he didn’t look like a teacher, and maybe, if he was caught, he wouldn’t be recognised. He told himself it was the concern of a teacher that had prompted him to visit the Crypt, and not the upcoming full moon urging him to see his mate as he stood in the queue lined out back of the last building on Bay Street. He was lost in thought so he was surprised when finally he reached the bouncer – a Spanish looking guy, well muscled and tattooed, as tall as Jed. He didn’t seem to be asking for ID. Jed was ushered inside.

The Crypt was different than the Border. It was under the building so there were no windows; the large space was lit up by cheap neon light-bulbs revolving around the room. Music poured from massive speakers. Two kids were at the bar – Jed recognised Buster and Jamie, Diego’s mate, who sometimes waited for Buster and Art outside the community college. Jed made his way deeper into the underground club, pushing past people. He spotted a good handful of his own students from the university and kept his head down, hair falling into his eyes, as to not be recognised. He came upon the female dancer first – another one of Art’s friends that came to pick him up sometimes. She was in a sports bra and shorts, with a crowd of boys drooling by the podium she danced on.

Jed pushed on and, finally, he spotted him. He felt his cheeks heat at the sight of Art, in a flimsy tank top and cargo pants, dancing on his own podium. Jed was mesmerised by the move of his hips, his long legs, his arms, his face, flushed, mouth parted...he forgot all about what had prompted him to visit the club his uni students had been gossiping about, held illegally in the building he owned. He had intended on talking to Art about shutting it down in order to try and salvage the doomed building, but now he just stood there and stared. Someone bumped into him, ‘’dude, move!’’ they yelled.

Jed snapped out of it, realising he was standing completely still in the middle of the dance-floor. Art hadn’t spotted him – his eyes were closed as he danced. Jed sneaked to the corner of the club and leaned against the wall in the shadows where he would not be seen. He hadn’t meant to observe Art so closely but he couldn’t even think about anything else now. He couldn’t have pried his eyes away from the dancer if his life depended on it.

*~*~*

Buster was out of it. He sighed and moped so much behind the bar Jamie was starting to get worried about him. Buster couldn’t believe his own behaviour. Walking up to the flower shop just to ask Carma if she wanted coffee? Yeah, right. He’d wanted to see Gideon. He couldn’t lie to himself about that. He’d spent so many nights staring at his picture on the ID and he couldn’t resist the urge to go up and see the man in person. And now he felt like a complete fool. What was he _thinking_? He didn’t like guys, not after the couple of dicks that had been shoved down his throat. Blowjobs were a necessary evil to gather enough money at the end of a rough week for his aunt’s meds but it was never pleasant. But Gideon...shit, what was he doing to his head?

‘’Dude,’’ Jamie said, coming up to him under the pretext of grabbing another vodka from the display behind them, ‘’get your shit together. What’s going on?’’

‘’Hm?’’ Buster blinked, realising he’d been staring blankly at the vodka display for the last two minutes, ‘’oh...sorry...’’

Jamie looked at him for a moment. Buster felt his small, warm hand at the small of his back, a tiny, comforting gesture, ‘’pull through the shift. We’ll talk about it later,’’ he turned and swore, ‘’oh, fuck, Buster, look!’’

Buster turned, too, and his eyes widened. Diego Delarosa was coming towards the bar, jaw locked in annoyance. He was in civil clothing, a tight t-shirt and jeans, but his badge hung around his neck. No one had noticed it yet but when they did, there’d be panic. They couldn’t have two raids so close together – the business would never recover, ‘’what are you doing here?’’ Jamie hissed at Delarosa as he reached the counter and glanced at Buster, ‘’take care of the customers.’’

‘’Inspection,’’ Delarosa said.

‘’Oh for fucks sake, what’s there to inspect? You keep shutting us down and we keep cropping back up.’’

‘’Yeah, I’ve noticed,’’ Delarosa put his hands into his pockets, ‘’the council is coming down on us. They’re trying to improve the area. This is it, Jamie. The next raid will be the last one and you _will_ get arrested.’’

‘’Then bloody tell them there’s nothing to worry about!’’ Jamie yelled at him over the boom of the speakers. Gus peeked out from under the counter worriedly, ‘’you’ve been observing this building for so long they’re bound to believe you!’’

‘’I’m shutting this place down, Jamie,’’ Delarosa’s voice was almost apologetic.

‘’Watch the bar,’’ Jamie barked at Buster, jumping over the counter. He grabbed the Officer by his shirt front and pulled him out back, away from the queue Raphael was controlling, until they were out of view, ‘’you’re not closing it down.’’

‘’I need to.’’

‘’No,’’ Jamie snapped, ‘’you made DeeDee leave, and now you’re trying to shut down the club!? Why can’t you just fuck off?’’

‘’It’s my job, Jamie,’’ Delarosa snapped, losing his patience. The ground beneath their feet pulsed from the music, ‘’how many times do I have to tell you this? I’m just doing my duty.’’

Jamie jabbed a finger at Delarosa’s chest, the panic that made his throat close up, made his body shake when something he loved was threatened taking him over, ‘’if you close the club,’’ Jamie’s voice trembled slightly, ‘’I won’t speak to you ever again.’’

Delarosa groaned, ‘’this isn’t about us being mates, Jamie. The whole station knows this club exists and if I don’t do it, someone else will. You don’t have a licence – you’re the barista and you’re underage! That’s illegal!’’

Jamie snorted without humour, ‘’wait till you see my tattoo,’’ Delarosa looked surprised before the irritation melted off his face, replaced by a soft, inquiring look, ‘’that was metaphorical!’’ Jamie snapped, feeling himself blush under that gaze. He told himself it was the cold, ‘’you’re _not_ seeing it!’’

Delarosa shook his head and took a step back, ‘’I’m sorry. I’m closing it down.’’

‘’No!’’ Jamie lunged towards Delarosa. He grabbed his wrist, ‘’no, please...please, just...I’m seventeen now a-and the club...the licence...we can...we can...’’

The edges of his vision went blurry. He couldn’t breathe properly. There had been so many raids before, so many threats of arrest and closing the club down but with Diego saying it...Jamie knew that was it. His mate would do it. Memories flashed before his eyes – a nice house, his parents, a little sister... then the divorce, his father and sister gone. Then those men, taking everything away – the money, the furniture, finally the house. Then him and his mom at his granddad’s place. And it was fine. Just him and her. And then it wasn’t. The pills, the blank eyes, the dark circles, his mom in bed all day...and then his grandfather kicking them out. The little apartment, cramped and smelly, his mom lying on the old mattress like she had on that bed. Jamie, twelve years old, trying to take care of her. Her body, hanging on a rope. He only remembered the swinging legs. His mind wouldn’t let him remember more. And then those social workers, trying to drag him away from his apartment, his mother... There were always people trying to take things away from him, things he cared about. His building, his coffee shop, his club, DeeDee, his family...it would all be gone...they’d take it...they’d take it all away again...

‘’Jamie,’’ Delarosa’s arms were on his shoulders, ‘’Jamie, you’re having a panic attack.’’

‘’Please...’’ Jamie panted out while gasping for breath, ‘’don’t...don’t...’’

‘’Okay, okay, I get it,’’ there was a panicked edge to Delarosa’s voice, ‘’I’ll tell the station not to worry about the club. I won’t close it down right now, okay? So just calm down. Breathe.’’

Jamie took a step away from him, pressed his back against the wall and tried to take a deep breath. He mulled over what Delarosa had said – his club, his family, they’d be safe for now. Another attempt at a deep breath... it was okay. It was alright for now. Finally, Jamie managed to suck in enough air that his vision sharpened when he opened his eyes. He felt the cold on his exposed arms, the sweat on his forehead, the faint pain of his lungs. Delarosa stood in front of him, looking scared and confused. When he saw Jamie was breathing properly, his shoulders slumped in relief and the fear was replaced by a fierce protectiveness that made Jamie close his eyes again to block it out, ‘’go away...’’ he managed hoarsely.

''Jamie-''

''Go _away!_ ''

When he opened his eyes a couple minutes later, Delarosa was indeed gone.

*~*~*

In the early morning of the next day, the Winter pack was gathered in Ellie’s apartment again, ‘’right,’’ she said, sitting on the edge of the armchair Gideon occupied, still in her white silk robe, ‘’today is the full moon. Fritz, are your running with your kids?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Fritz said in his gruff voice.

Ellie nodded, ‘’next full moon we’ll try to organise a proper run for the whole pack, but for tonight I need to organise chains for a few of you. I want everyone whose just found their mates here so I can keep an eye on you. Fritz, right after your run you need to come here – Rosita, Sid, make sure you bring him back here right after he shifts back into a human,’’ the two members of Fritz’s sub-pack nodded.

‘’I’ll opt out,’’ Jed said, ‘’I have a lot of work to catch up on and I’m a born wolf. I’ve been fine during the last full moon, even with Art being my mate. I think I’ll be fine.’’

Ellie nodded.

‘’Yeah, me too,’’ Gideon sat up, ‘’I was changed at three years old and I was fine during the last full moon.’’

Ellie studied him for a long moment, ‘’are you sure?’’ she asked finally. He’d confided in her about what happened with Mickey in the alleyway, as shortly and emotionlessly as possible, over coffee after that first pack meeting but she still had her concerns.

‘’I am,’’ Gideon said. And he was.

He would not lose control over some random kid who sucked people off in the alleyway for money.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> right right RIGHT so I was watching Siren, the new TV show, and I have had an EPIPHANY. 
> 
> So...  
> I kind of want to do another original work...?  
> This one would be completely different because it would be based around *dun dun dun* sirens! But male sirens! Gay sirens! Whoop whoop! The basic premise that I've come up with is that some sirens leave the sea to go live on land (it's rather common) and they usually settle on an Island or somewhere close to the ocean. So in the story a couple sirens are living peacefully on an Island when a 'killer mermaid' starts attacking fishing boats, animals, swimmers etc etc and the inhabitants of the islands start realising that it's not an animal doing all that... but the killer is actually a really cute merman that one of the other sirens would take in and try to 'tame' before the villagers clock that sirens exists and start hunting them down?? IDK 
> 
> The other couples would be a freshly baked firefighter siren who doesn't really like his merman-nature & a little bit stuck up ballet dancer (also a siren), a human fisherman smitten with a siren he saw once who, on land, is actually a teacher in a nursery, and a nerdy siren accidentally spotted by a human transfer student... so basically the last two are your human x mermaid & nerd x jock kinda stories, but I wouldn't make them cheesy, promise!
> 
> IDK I've always wanted a siren story w/ both masculine and feminine males and I've started drawing the characters and stuff, and I'm getting pretty into this story, but I've decided I'll only write & post it after I finish at least one of my other original works, so you guys don't have TOO much to read. 
> 
> Thoughts?


	12. The Second Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the support my darlings, and for the enthusiasm about the new original work! <3  
> Sorry, I'm not answering comments today - it's 03:22 in the morning, I've resolved to listening to Polish folk songs and my brain is fried. I couldn't sleep an hour ago and I thought tapping out a chapter of Bay Street, since it's Wednesday already, would be banging, and I regret every decision I've made up until this point...
> 
> Anyway, enjoy the chappie!!!

On the day of the full moon, Gus was lying on his stomach on his tiny bed, trying to teach himself the newest math formula they went through at school this week. It was going into his brain like butter and he was speed-writing equations down a page in his ragged notebook when a tentative knock sounded on his doors. Gus’ pencil – he never bought pens, because they ran out of ink quickly – paused over his page as he frowned. He didn’t recognise that knock. Marianna always triple-knocked. Art knocked in a continuous stream without stopping until the doors were open; Raphael usually just hollered for Gus to open as he jogged up the stairs; Buster rapped a beat out on the doors with his open palms; Val slammed her fist into the door as if she was trying to break in; and Jamie never knocked. Jamie just walked in and dumped himself on Gus’ bed. Not one tenant of the last building on Bay Street knocked in such a shy, polite manner.

Gus got off his bed and walked up to his door cautiously, finally opening them, ‘’o-oh,’’ he stammered out when he saw golden haired, dazzling Alex standing before his doors.

‘’Hey,’’ Alex said with a nervous, bright, slightly giddy smile. He wore a navy bomber jacket and worn jeans. He had a couple books tucked under his arm and flowers in his free hand. He extended those to Gus now, ‘’um...for you,’’ he said.

‘’Oh,’’ Gus said again, feeling his hands go clammy with nerves as he took the flowers. No one had ever given him flowers like this, ‘’come in.’’

‘’Thanks,’’ Alex slipped in when Gus hurried to his wash area. He discreetly tipped his toothbrush out of the plastic cup, filled it with water and put the small bunch of pink carnations inside, ‘’I wanted to get you something, but I didn’t know what you liked. Sorry, um...you usually give flowers to girls,’’ Alex rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly at Gus.

‘’It’s fine. I like flowers,’’ Gus said.

Lie.

He hated flowers. Or, rather, he was allergic to pollen. He strictly refused to go within the flower shop in the building. Already he felt his nose block up but he decided not to tell Alex. He felt like his insides had turned to jelly just at the thought that someone had given him flowers. And not just someone – _Alex_ had given him flowers!

‘’I bumped into your sister the other day,’’ Alex said in his soothing Texan accent – Gus guessed he must have seen Mari after she visited him with Marlo. Which meant he must have been loitering around the building, ‘’she mentioned you study on the weekends so I figured I could offer you my limited expertise,’’ he lifted the books he had been holding, ‘’or at least my old textbooks.’’

Gus’ face lit up, ‘’really? Thanks!’’ he went to his tiny bed and cleared away some of the papers, trying not to think about the fact that he was inviting his mate into his private space, ‘’you just graduated uni, right?’’

‘’Yeah – the Virginia Military Institute. I was changed last year so the government let me do a quick crash course at the university since I’ve been going army cadets my whole life anyway, instead of making me transfer schools into the wolf district. Now I can go do actual service-‘’ he stopped himself and winced, ‘’sorry,’’ he threw his jacket off, put it at the foot of the bed and slid onto it, sitting comfortably next to Gus, ‘’you probably didn’t want to hear all that.’’

‘’No, I did,’’ Gus was surprised by his quick retort – and the fact that he meant it. Somehow, he wanted to know everything about Alex, from his life so far to his star sign to his favourite food. He put it down to being mates, ‘’so...you were human until last year?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Alex nodded, ‘’the wolf district is a bit different in America, at least where I grew up. There’s a place for humans, a place for wolves and then a place in between for mixed families. My parents were actually my godparents originally, for my biological, human mother. She passed away when I was born and they adopted me. But they’re very morally righteous – they wouldn’t change me into a wolf till I was an adult and all that,’’ he rolled his green eyes pointedly.

 

Gus smiled at that – it wasn’t uncommon, ‘’did you always want to be a soldier?’’

Alex nodded, ‘’my mom was one so I’m kind of following her,’’ he shrugged and sat in a lotus position, nodding his head at Gus, ‘’what about you? What do you want to be.’’

Gus gestured at the notes, ‘’surgeon.’’

Alex’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, ‘’any particular kind?’’

‘’uh...neurosurgeon?’’

‘’How come?’’ Alex prompted.

Gus flushed a little. No one had questioned him that much about his ambitions since he left home. His friends and he had a strict no back-story policy. Gus vaguely knew where the others came from – Art’s and Val’s abusive households, Raphael’s murdered parents, Jamie’s depressed mom and Buster’s last living relative, Carolyn. Gus’ friends were aware that he’d been in a good private academy studying to be a surgeon, before, and they did everything they could to help him when he needed it. But life at the last building on Bay Street...it stood still, in a way. Raphael never expected to leave A Touch of Ink; Jamie never expected to stop working the coffee shop and the Crypt; Art never expected to do anything else but juggle dancing gigs at dodgy clubs in the area; Val never expected to stop fighting; Buster expected to be dead by thirty. It was like every day was the same, the only difference being the police raids and the notices from the council, threatening their safe if uneventful cycle. The wolves had been the first thing to stir things up. Maybe Gus didn’t even believe he’d actually ever become a surgeon. Maybe he actually suspected that he’d finish sixth form and never go to university... so being questioned about the future, that felt so far away, so unreal, was a bit of a wake-up call.

‘’Well...’’ Gus wrung his hands out, ‘’the brain is interesting, isn’t it? Everything we feel, think, the people we are...it’s all due to different chemicals and parts of our brains. To be able to figure out what is wrong with someone and to fix such a powerful thing as the mind...well, it’s fascinating,’’ Gus felt himself go redder and redder with each word but he couldn’t stop talking, ‘’ah...sorry you probably didn’t want to hear all that.’’

‘’No, I did,’’ Alex echoed Gus with a grin, ‘’I’ve never met someone who wants to be a brain surgeon.’’

Gus gave him a tentative smile, ‘’I’ve never met a soldier.’’

Alex’s grin softened into a smile and he tapped Gus’ head with one of his textbooks, ‘’come on, my little neurosurgeon. Let’s tackle your education, hm?’’

*~*~*  


‘’Get comfortable,’’ Ellie said, ‘’come on, Diego.’’

‘’Somehow this feels...’’ Diego trailed off but settled in one of Ellie’s armchairs with a sigh.

She gave him a rare, wolfish grin, looking like an assassin, what with the chains in her hands and the red sky behind her. In an hour or so the full moon would be up in the sky and the wolves would be affected by their instincts, ‘’no complaints,’’ Ellie said, tossing one end of the long length of chain at her feet to Alex. They walked around the armchair multiple times, making sure the hemlock-infused chains were tightly wrapped around Diego’s chest and the back of the armchair, pinning him to it.

‘’This is strangely fun,’’ Alex said brightly, locking the padlock of the chains behind the armchair and tossing the key to his alpha.

‘’Don’t worry, it’s your turn now,’’ Ellie said, gesturing to the couch.

Alex obediently slid into the corner, settled with pillows. Ellie tied his legs and hands with shorter chains, making sure he was immobilised in the event of running. As a relatively new wolf, he was Ellie’s priority.  She sat down on the couch next to Alex and turned the TV on. They half-watched a movie, already feeling the rising moon taking subtle control over them.

More than an hour after the moon had risen, the doors to Ellie’s apartment opened. Rosita and Sid, two out of three of the older people in Fritz’s sub-pack, dragged a struggling Fritz in after their run. He was sweaty and his gold-glowing eyes scanned the room wildly as he bucked in the arms of his family, ‘’he wanted to bolt towards his mate’s place as soon as he shifted back,’’ Rosita said.

 Without a word, Ellie grabbed Fritz and nodded at Rosita and Sid, who slipped out of the apartment, ready to run for a little longer. Fritz snuggled into Ellie, sniffing her neck. He recognised his alpha, which was the only reason why he didn’t jerk away from her, ‘’you’re not him...’’ he whined in an uncharacteristically soft, high pitched voice, ‘’I want...I want Raph...I need...’’

Ellie didn’t say anything, dragging him gently to the couch. She settled him down next to Alex. Fritz immediately jumped onto the blond boy, nuzzling his nose into his neck. He jumped right off again, looking hurt and betrayed, ‘’no...not you...I don’t want you, I want him...’’

‘’I think I’ll go crazy if I have to listen to that all night,’’ Diego said mildly but not unkindly from the armchair. He was as little affected by the moon as Ellie, but who knew how long that would last.

‘’You weren’t much better last time, from what I hear,’’ Ellie said, chaining Fritz down as she had Alex. Fritz didn’t fight her, whimpering softly. When she was done, he lay down and curled into a ball on the couch, looking deeply unhappy. Ellie knelt by him and brushed his dreadlocks away from his face. He, Alex, Graham, Robbie and Neta – the dark skinned, tattooed girl who barely talked – were just kids in Ellie’s eyes. She felt a special protectiveness towards them as their alpha. She went into her bedroom and came back with one of Raphael’s t-shirts. She had followed his scent to where he lives and snuck inside his small apartment when he wasn’t there. Maybe taking his t-shirt wasn’t the most honourable thing to do, but she figured it would be key in keeping Fritz under control. She tucked it into Fritz’s chained hands now and the boy immediately pressed the t-shirt to his nose, inhaling the scent of green soap, ink, rain and the weird, new-car smell that Fritz was beginning to grow addicted to. Fritz nuzzled into the t-shirt, closing his eyes.

Ellie spared a thought to wonder if Gideon and Jed were alright and in control of themselves, but she knew trust was key in a pack. She just hoped they wouldn’t do anything stupid. She walked over to the wall by the TV, where a permanent brass ring was hammered into the plaster since the incident during the last full moon, when she nearly jumped Val. The apartment was a new purchase she made as soon as the werewolf reservoir was opened. Now she looped another set of chains through the ring and tied the cuffs around one of her ankles. The chain was long enough she could move around the apartment, in case her pack needed anything, but to leave the apartment she’d have to rip out the brass ring from the wall which, with the hemlock chains around her ankle slowly draining her wolf-strength, would be damn near impossible.

For now, the alpha sat down on the floor cross-legged. She looked around at the three chained males in her living-room, ‘’I suppose we’re all set.’’

*~*~*

Buster had been worried about Val going out to late night fights on the night of the full moon. She hadn’t told him that Ellie had kissed her during the last full moon but Buster was concerned nonetheless, and not just for Val. Before he could offer Jamie Val’s bed, which would be empty for much of the night, the boy barricaded himself in his hut. But, despite all his worrying, he was tired. He’d been delivering pizzas all day for a guy who had to urgently visit his family in a different country and he could barely feel his legs.

He awoke in the middle of the night feeling something soft but not unpleasant against his neck. He made a small, impatient noise at the back of his throat, still half asleep, as the something nudged persistently under his ear. Suddenly Buster’s eyes snapped open as he jerked awake – because someone was gently, playfully, nibbling at the lobe of his ear. He stared, disbelieving, at the beautiful face of Gideon Reis in front of him – a face that held two eyes glowing gold. Buster opened his mouth, to scream or ask the boy what the hell he was doing in his room but Gideon, who was kneeling by the bed, reached out and caressed Buster’s freckled, sleep-warmed cheek with his long, elegant fingers, ‘’mate,’’ he whispered the word almost reverently.

‘’H-huh?’’ Buster stuttered out breathlessly.

Gideon leaned over Buster, brushing his nose – which he had been previously nuzzling against Buster’s neck – against Buster’s nose. A stunned breath fell from Buster’s lips and in the next instance, Gideon was kissing him. Just lightly, a brush of his lips on Buster’s, ‘’mate,’’ he murmured again.

‘’You don’t know what you’re doing,’’ Buster whispered, scrambling away from Gideon, his heart going wild in his chest, ‘’your instincts-‘’

Gideon made an unhappy noise and leapt onto the bed, sliding over to Buster as the human pressed himself as far as he could into the corner. He grabbed Buster’s leg, ‘’w-whoa! What are you doing?’’ Buster demanded, turning bright red as Gideon tilted his leg and pressed his mouth to his clothed thigh, giving it a very slow, very deliberate kiss. Gideon’s golden eyes flicked up to Buster’s hungrily. Buster shivered.  

‘’I want you...’’ Gideon breathed, voice dripping with lust. Buster stared as Gideon’s canines elongated slightly, ‘’I want you...my mate...’’ Gideon whispered heatedly, his glowing eyes flicking back to Buster’s thigh.

Too late did Buster realise what Gideon was going to do. With a strangled cry, he jerked his leg, trying to get it out of Gideon’s grip as the wolf striked. His teeth sunk into the soft flesh of Buster’s thigh through his old PJ pants and retracted a second later. Shocked and terrified, Buster kicked Gideon in the chest. The wolf sailed off the bed and hit the floor. Buster stared in shock at the small amount of blood now on his pants. The wound hurt. It was shallow, but it was enough.

Enough to change Buster into a werewolf.

*~*~*

Gideon didn’t remember what happened.

One moment he was lying on his bed in his apartment, blinds shut to hide the full moon, unable to stop the image of Mickey on his knees in front of some other man out of his head. In the next, he was on the floor in a wholly unfamiliar place and Mickey was on the bed, dishevelled, brown eyes wide with shock. Gideon scrambled to his feet, ‘’shit,’’ he gestured between them. Mickey’s knees were tightly pressed together, hiding, what? An erection? ‘’did I...did we... shit,’’ he sank a hand into his bleached hair in frustration, ‘’I can’t believe this,’’ he muttered to himself angrily, ‘’how could I...with a _prostitute_...’’

‘’Excuse me?’’ Mickey chocked out with a high pitched, hysterical laugh.

Ah, fuck it. The cat was out of the bag, ‘’I saw you,’’ Gideon said coldly, ‘’with that guy, in the alley. Giving him a...’’ he clamped hi jaws shut in distaste. At least Mickey was fully clothes so they couldn’t have gone very far. His mate stared at him with wide eyes. His whole body was shaking visibly. Gideon hated seeing him so...afraid. But, of course, he didn’t know how to deal with it, so he just snapped, ‘’stop staring at me like that. What, unhappy? Shall I give you a twenty next time? You’ll probably want it then.’’

‘’What?’’ Mickey whispered, eyes filling with tears.

Gideon couldn’t stop it. That fury that had built up in him since he’d seen Mickey, not for him but for that man... ‘’it’s disgusting, being mated with someone like you...’’ he snarled, and Mickey flinched away at his tone. _Stop_ , Gideon’s rational mind yelled at him, _stop it, your idiot_! He bit his tongue before he could say anything else but the damage was done.

‘’Get out...’’ Mickey whispered.

‘’Oh, now you-‘’

‘’Get. Out!’’ Mickey snarled so harshly it was Gideon’s turn to flinch. Mickey glared at him with eyes exuding pure hatred and that was worse than the fear from before, ‘’you...you come in here and...just...’’ the tears slipped out, running down his face and...and _shit_ , that was the worst, ‘’you’re the only person to ever make me feel ashamed for doing what I do,’’ he whispered, voice choking up with the tears that ran down his face, ‘’I don’t want to see you ever again. Leave me the _fuck_ alone.’’

_Hurt. Mate – hurt. You. You hurt him. Mate’s hurt. Mate needs..._

Gideon forced his thoughts to shut up as he looked hopelessly at Mickey, at the tears and the anger and the hatred in his face and turned. He ran for the door and then out of the building. He shifted, discarding his ruined clothes. And then he just ran.

Buster sat on his bed, shaking and crying, until he was sure Gideon was gone. Only then did he unlock his knees that had been hiding the bite wound and touched it gingerly. It wasn’t bad enough to require medical attention so Buster just slipped out of his PJ bottoms and wrapped them around the wound, hiding it from view. He didn’t want to think about it but already he felt strange. Woozy. Like he was getting a fever.

 _I just need sleep_ , he told himself, _I’ll wake up and it’ll be fine. I’ll still be human_.

He shuffled under his patchwork covers, curled up in a ball and closed his puffy, red eyes.


	13. Something Aspirin Can't Fix

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I am so sorry I didn't update for a while, my update schedule is well hectic right now.  
> It's a bit late so I won't be replying to reviews but I have read every one and I want to say a massive thank you for your amazing patience & support so far ;*

‘’Bus, you feel like going to school today?’’ Val crouched down by her best friend’s bed in their shared room. He was bundled in his covers so that she couldn’t even see his face. She had no idea how he hadn’t suffocated yet, ‘’it’s been three days. Maybe we should take you to a doctor.’’

‘’No doctor,’’ Buster whined from under the blankets, ‘’please.’’

Val felt helpless. She reached out and laid a dark hand on the roll of blankets, ‘’do you need anything?’’

‘’No, thanks,’’ Buster’s voice was faint, muffled, hoarse. Val was starting to seriously worry about him.

‘’Aspirin? Food? Are you sure this is just a cold?’’ Val prompted. She didn’t want to leave Buster all by himself when she went to school. She’d run to the shop and spend her food money on pills for Buster if that would make him feel better.

‘’I’m fine,’’ Buster assured weakly.

Val gave a deep sigh and patted the bundle, ‘’I’ll have Raphael check up on you later.’’

‘’No!’’ for a second, Val thought Buster would leap out of bed. Instead, the roll of blankets just jerked and then his voice came back, as weak as before, ‘’please, don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to worry them.’’

‘’We’re your family, Mickey,’’ Val said softly, ‘’we all worry about each other.’’

‘’ _Please_ , Val,’’ Buster’s voice seemed on the edge of tears.

Val rubbed her hands down her face, ‘’alright,’’ she said finally, ‘’but if you don’t get better by the time the end of the week, I’m taking you to a clinic,’’ Buster didn’t reply. It was Friday and with Buster’s behaviour, Val couldn’t promise she wouldn’t drag him to a doctor sooner, ‘’love you, Mick.’’

‘’Love you,’’ Buster replied shakily from under the covers.

Val had no choice but to back out of the room. The others knew that Buster went down with some kind of flu and they all pitched in to buy him nutritious food that he didn’t seem to be eating. No one went inside, other than Val, for fear of catching whatever Buster had. The number one rule was that if someone was sick, everyone helped in any way they could – like a family would. But they tried not to mingle with that person, because they usually couldn’t afford for one or two people to get sick around the same time. Val jogged down the stairs and went into the coffee shop, where her friends were getting their usual drinks, ‘’is he still not coming to school?’’ Art asked worriedly. Val shook her head.

‘’I’ll go deposit his money to his aunt in the evening,’’ Raphael said, taking his hot chocolate from Jamie. Being out for three days meant Buster didn’t make enough to pay for rent and for his aunt’s medicine. Any other day he’d do a quick blowjob in an alley to pull up the sum, but being sick in bed there was little he could do. Raphael had taken it upon himself to chip in to make the balance, and the others followed closely.

‘’I’ll go check up on her tomorrow if Buster’s still out of action,’’ Jamie offered.

‘’There’s another issue,’’ Gus, who had been chewing his lip nervously, wondering how serious Buster’s flu was, set down a crumpled piece of paper on the counter, ‘’I checked the mail. The council issued another notice about the building.’’

Raphael snatched it up, eyes scanning it, ‘’shit. I think they’re getting serious.’’

‘’Are they evicting us?’’ Val demanded.

‘’Not yet,’’ Raphael set the notice down, ‘’but this is the second one in two months. They’re getting serious.’’

‘’Art, we thought you were working on it,’’ Jamie said to the ashy-haired boy.

‘’I am,’’ Art assured quickly, ‘’I’m working it out with March. Just give me a bit more time.’’

Gus glanced at the crumpled notice, ‘’we might not have much time left.’’

*~*~*

The university was massive. Art never came anywhere near it. It stood on a little risen hill, away from any spots that Art had to visit sometimes. He saw it looming over the city sometimes but up close it was downright imposing. For a kid who attended community college, a place of higher education made him, at best, uncomfortable. He took a deep breath, steeling himself, and stepped into the massive vintage building. He was looking for Jed March. The second notice made Art panic. He couldn’t wait for one of Jed’s charity lessons at the college. He needed to find him straight away. Inside, the corridor was even more imposing. White marble arches rose up many feet above Art’s head. The walls were lined with old – like, Jamie’s coat old – photographs of the university’s alumni. Students passed, not paying much attention to him. Many were well dressed, but there were enough students hurrying around in messy buns, oversized hoodies and PJ pants to relax Art a little.

He walked through a glass door labelled ‘OFFICE’ without knocking. A man sat behind it, looking exactly like Art imagined a male office lady would – neatly brushed hair, spectacles and a neat suit, ‘’how can I help?’’ he asked emotionlessly.

‘’Yeah, um...hi,’’ Art shuffled closer. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his worn green jacket, ‘’I’m looking for Jed March?’’

‘’Professor March,’’ the man looked interested now, ‘’what business might you have with him? Are you a student here?’’

‘’Ah, no. I’m from the...c-community college,’’ Art didn’t know why he felt stupid saying it.

‘’Oh,’’ the man sat back, ‘’sorry. You can’t go within the university without an ID badge. You need to make an appointment online if you’d like to talk to one of the teachers about enrolment options.’’

 _Appointment online, my ass_ , Art thought. _You’re acting like I have a laptop. I don’t even have a phone_!  Art went through to plan B, ‘’Jed, he’s, um...my...m-mate?’’

Interest sparked back in the man’s eyes, stronger than before. He leaned forward, ‘’gosh, so _you’re_ Arthur.’’

Art’s pale eyebrows shot up, ‘’you know who I am?’’

‘’Professor March mentioned you,’’ the man said, reaching into his desk, ‘’he said that if you ever come here because you need to speak to him, I should let you through. Ah, _voila_!’’ he pulled out a ‘VISITOR’ sticker, scribbled Art’s name on it and passed it to the boy, ‘’he’s on the third floor, in the literature department. Room 308, if I’m not mistaken.’’

‘’Thanks,’’ Art said, sticking the sticker onto his coat. He hurried out of the office and located the stairs, which wasn’t hard, considering they were as massive and marble as the rest of the university. By the time he reached the third floor, he was breathing hard and had to take a breather. It took him another five minutes to actually located room ‘308’. Again, he forgot to knock, pushing the old wooden doors open.

Jed was sitting at his desk, much like the one at the community college, except Art found himself at the top of a massive lecture hall. He hurried down the steps in the middle and as he approached the desk, he realised Jed was asleep. There were stacks of papers around him and he was leaning on his hand, his mouth slightly parted as he slept. Art stopped in front of the desk, suddenly not wanting to wake Jed up at all. He realised how overworked Jed must be, with sorting out the building, teaching at the university and then at the community college as well... but then Art remembered that he promised to make sure he and his friends didn’t lose their home. He walked around the desk and stopped directly next to his mate, ‘’Mr March,’’ he said out loud. Jed didn’t move, ‘’sir?’’ Art poked his arm a couple times. Nothing. He sighed, ‘’Mr March, wake up,’’ he reached out with a finger and poked his teacher’s cheek. When he still didn’t move, Art nibbled on his lip before finally stroking March’s cheek with the back of his hand. It was rough with unseen stubble, ‘’Jed,’’ he said softly.

Jed stirred. His blue eyes opened and he blinked. Art snatched back his hand as Jed raised his head, looking a little confused, ‘’Art?’’ he yawned, ‘’what are you doing here?’’

‘’Um...can we talk?’’ Art asked uncertainly.

Jed looked at the pile of papers with a sigh, ‘’now isn’t a good time.’’

‘’Please,’’ Art blurted nervously, ‘’it’ll only take a second!’’

Jed glanced at his mate and, seeing his worry, his feature’s softened, ‘’alright,’’ he said, ‘’what is it?’’

‘’The building...’’ Art didn’t know how to ask Jed for help, ‘’we...got another notice that it’s a safety hazard. We really need you to...’’

‘’Hurry up?’’

‘’Yeah. Sorry.’’

‘’But you see Art,’’ Jed rubbed his face, ‘’I can’t do anything if half the things that go on in that building are illegal.’’

‘’We got rid of DeeDee’s van-‘’

‘’I’m not talking about the marihuana, Arthur,’’ Jed said calmly and Art realised that Jed knew. Of course he knew. He was a wolf. He probably checked out the whole building without anyone realising, ‘’the basement club needs to go. If the police keep catching you throwing parties, they will shut the whole building down before the council can even get to it. And the hut on top of the building needs to go, too.’’

Art’s grey eyes widened, ‘’b-but Jamie sleeps there-‘’

‘’Exactly,’’ Jed sighed again, ‘’the roof is flat. There are no borders around it. The hut is nothing but a safety hazard and one look at it will give the council grounds to shut the building down, especially if someone is living in there.’’

Art stared at his feet, ‘’what am I meant to tell Jamie?’’

‘’I don’t know, Art,’’ Jed said softly, ‘’I wish I could help as much as the next person. But you need to figure out the club and the hut before I petition the council about anything.’’

‘’Right. Yeah,’’ Art said numbly. A plan was already forming in his head, but no one would like it. Not his friends and not him. Jamie would definitely not like it. He might even hate Art for it, ‘’thanks.’’

‘’Art-‘’

‘’I’ll figure it out,’’ Art turned sharply, feeling the sting of despair in his heart. He had to protect his family, even if he had to hurt them first.

‘’Let me know when you do,’’ Jed said, feeling the need to comfort his mate, but Art was out of the doors in seconds.

*~*~*

That evening when Val came back into her and Buster’s room, she knew her best friend got worse. Even with all the covers around him, the bundle was quivering with violent shivers. The room reeked of sweat. Buster did not hear Val come in after school, because he was sobbing. Her self control snapped; she could not watch Buster suffer alone any longer, ‘’that’s it,’’ she marched up to Buster’s bed, grabbed the covers and yanked them off his unsuspecting body. She gasped just as he did. Buster didn’t look bad.

He looked like _shit_.

His usually tan, freckled skin was pale. Like, unhealthily pale. Val was no doctor but she knew no one was supposed to look _green_. Buster was shivering so badly his teeth chattered. His skin was clammy with sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead. And around his thigh were his PJ bottoms, tied securely, crusted with a small amount of blood, ‘’shit,’’ Val sank onto the bed and grabbed the makeshift bandage. Buster was too weak – dehydrated and sick – to stop her, ‘’did you get hurt and not tell anyone? If this shit got infected-‘’ she gently pried the bottoms away.

‘’No...’’ Buster moaned in pain, trying to hide the wound with his hand.

Val slapped it away and her eyes widened at the shape of the wound. Like teeth. A bite. Val’s breath came out of her in a terrified breath. It didn’t look infected but...but...‘’who?’’ she demanded.

‘’Mate,’’ Buster was panting, eyes closed. He was clearly in a lot of pain, ‘’Gideon...’’

Val gritted her teeth, ‘’you’re changing into a werewolf.’’

‘’No!’’ Buster cried and tears started rolling down his face, ‘’I’m not, I’m not...’’

‘’Its okay. It’s not your fault,’’ Val assured, shushing him gently. She scooted closer and stroked his sweaty hair, ‘’I’ll...uh...talk to Ellie. Yeah! She’ll know what to do-‘’

‘’No, please, Val,’’ Buster wept, ‘’no more wolves. No more...’’

Val looked around helplessly, ‘’painkillers...’’ even she knew they wouldn’t help. She didn’t think shifting into a wolf was meant to be so painful. Something was wrong. Buster’s body was reacting against the bite in the wrong way, ‘’oh, Mickey...’’ Val’s voice cracked.

‘’Please don’t tell anyone. Please...’’ Buster could barely stomach the thought of his friends knowing what he was. What would they think of him? If he didn’t have them, he didn’t have anyone.

‘’I won’t...’’

‘’I’m alright...’’ Buster said in a raspy voice, ‘’my aunt...’’

‘’The boys are taking care of her,’’ Val assured, ‘’and I’m going to take care of you,’’ she slid into bed next to her best friend and gathered his shaking, sweating body to her. She rubbed his back and stroked his hair as he wept against her soundlessly.

*~*~*

That Friday evening, Raphael did not expect to open the doors and find a shaking, bloody Fritz behind it. Raphael started at his mate, whose arms were folded around him protectively. He was only in a tank top and jeans, in this weather, both splattered with blood. His eyes were wide and terrified, ‘’c-can I-I come i-in?’’ he whispered, voice shaking so badly Raphael barely understood him.

Carmelo pooped up behind his brother, ‘’who is at the...’’ he trailed off, eyes widening at the sight of the bloodied werewolf.

‘’C, go to your friend. The one you go to school with. Donatello? Stay the night,’’ Raphael grabbed Fritz’s wrist and dragged him into the small apartment

‘’Raph, who is that?’’

‘’Carmelo, please.’’

Carmelo hesitated, but then hurried back to his room. Raphael heard him grabbing his bag and by the time he dragged a shell-shocked Fritz into the small bathroom, the front doors slammed shut, signalling that Carmelo was gone, ‘’I-I’m sorry...’’ Fritz whispered, sounding broken. Way more vulnerable than Raphael ever thought him capable of sounding, ‘’I didn’t mean to...I didn’t...’’

Raphael stopped him in front of the bathroom, ‘’Fritz? Fritz, look at me,’’ the wolf’s eyes were scanning the bathroom frantically. Raphael slid his hands over his mate’s cheeks, ‘’Fritz,’’ he commanded gently and finally the wolf’s wide blue eyes focused on him, ‘’tell me what happened.’’

‘’I killed him...’’ Fritz whispered.

Raphael’s blood ran cold. He forced himself to remain calm. Did the pack have a fight? Did Fritz end up hurting someone? ‘’Who, Fritz?’’

Fritz suddenly grabbed Raphael’s wrists, staring at him in fear. His eyes, much to Raphael’s shock, filled with tears, ‘’I don’t know. I-I don’t know his name...he...they came, so suddenly...’’

‘’Calm down,’’ Raphael led Fritz over to the toilet and sat him down on the closed lid. Fritz’s hands were shaking, ‘’did you get attacked?’’

Fritz nodded, dreadlocks falling into his eyes, ‘’I...it was a different wolf pack. We didn’t sense them coming. T-they came into our warehouse a-and they demanded it, and m-m-my k-kids got into a f-fight so I just...I had to...the guy in charge...he tried to get Robbie a-and...R-Rob’s just a kid, so I...I attacked him. I...ripped his throat out...’’

Raphael flinched despite himself. He reminded himself that this must have been when Fritz was in wolf form. It was normal, if you thought about it in wolf terms. A pack challenged a leader for territory. Deaths like that were common, Raphael knew that much. But in human terms...well, Fritz pretty much knew he killed some guy. And if he shifted back into his human form afterwards, then Raphael wasn’t surprised Fritz was having a break down. It was a deep, shitty mess. Police, government, wolf officials...they would all be involved. They would have to figure out who this pack was and why they had attacked Fritz’s. But for now, it didn’t matter. And the one in front of Raphael was Fritz. He had to take care of him. A surge of protectiveness rushed through him, ‘’is your pack okay?’’

Fritz nodded shakily, ‘’Ellie has them...’’

Raphael nodded back, ‘’alright. Don’t think about that anymore, then. Arms up.’’

Fritz didn’t question him, staring in shock at his feet. He raised his arms and Raphael peeled off his blood t-shirt, then helped him shuffle out of his jeans. Raphael hesitated at the boxers but Fritz’s body was speckled with blood. He scratched at his pale arms, the dry blood flecking off, ‘’I feel dirty...’’ he whispered. A tear dripped down his face. Raphael’s heart squeezed.

‘’You’re gonna take a shower, okay?’’ Raphael said gently, hooking his thumbs into Fritz’s boxers and tugging them down. He did not feel aroused, not in a situation in which his mate needed to be cared for. He pulled Fritz over to the tiny shower cabin. As soon as Fritz was inside, he slid to the floor. Raphael quickly took his t-shirts and pants off and, just in his underwear, slipped into the shower next to his mate, reaching up to take the shower head. He turned the water on which, in the shitty apartment, never got hot and stayed only lukewarm. Fritz didn’t seem to care. Raphael made sure the temperature was as pleasant as possible before directing the stream of water onto his mate. The blood dripped off him in rivulets, turning the water pink for a moment, ‘’hold this,’’ Raphael tucked the shower head into Fritz’s hands. The wolf held it limply over their thighs, eyes absent, tears still dripping down his face.

 Raphael grabbed the small bar of soap and ran it between his hands, soaping them up. He proceeded to diligently wash his mate’s shoulders, back and chest. He made sure his whole body was soaped before he took the shower head back and rinsed Fritz carefully, making sure no blood was left anywhere. With a sudden sob, Fritz leaned into Raphael, hiding his face in Raphael’s neck. When they met, Raphael had said they could be mates. He wasn’t into guys. He’d never been. But now it was as if all that had gone out of his head. Here was Fritz – strong, cool, laid back Fritz – breaking apart in his arms. His mate. He’d taken care of his pack for so long and now Raphael would take care of him. It wasn’t because he had to. He wanted to. And so he didn’t think twice about wrapping a secure arm around Fritz’s waist. With his other hand, he held the shower head over Fritz’s back. He moved it up and down slowly, letting the stream of water caress Fritz’s back. Fritz sobbed into Raphael’s shoulder, clinging onto him. Only when the water ran cold did Raphael turn off the shower.

He gently pushed Fritz back. The wolf came right back, wrapping his arms around Raphael’s neck, ‘’don’t go! Don’t, please, I can’t...’’

‘’It’s alright,’’ Raphael murmured, stroking his hand through Fritz’s course dreadlocks, ‘’I’m just getting a towel.’’

Fritz reluctantly slipped off Raphael, who picked up his towel from the rack in the corner of the small bathroom and threw it over Fritz’s shoulders, wrapping him up in it. Fritz sat slumped on the bottom of the shower cabin, body limp, staring at the remains of the water blankly. Raphael was under no illusion that he would stand up by himself. He tucked his arms around the smaller boy and lifted him into his arms. Fritz immediately pressed his forehead to Raphael’s chest. He seemed to be responsive to Raphael. The human carried his mate out of the bathroom and down to his bedroom, kicking the doors shut behind them.

Raphael set Fritz down on the edge of his small bed and went into his closet. He yanked out one of his t-shirts and two pairs of underwear. He first dressed Fritz, who numbly lifted his legs when Raphael requested it for him to slip the underwear on. He then tugged the slightly too big t-shirt on Fritz, before throwing off his soaked underwear and changing into a fresh pair.

‘’Can I stay the night?’’ Fritz whispered, staring at his hands, now touching lightly in his lap.

‘’Like I’d send you back in this state,’’ Raphael said, ‘’here,’’ he pulled back the covers on his bed, ‘’you can sleep here.’’

‘’I won’t be able to sleep.’’

‘’Then-‘’

‘’Stay with me....’’ Fritz whispered, looking up at Raphael with vulnerable eyes. Raphael’s heart clenched again.

‘’Yeah. Okay.’’

Raphael sat on the bed and patted the spot between his legs. Fritz crawled over. He suddenly looked very, very tired. Maybe he would sleep but his dreams would definitely not be peaceful. For now, he sat in between Raphael’s legs, pressing his back to the human’s chest. Raphael wrapped the covers around them so that they were cocooned together and then encased Fritz in his arms under them. Fritz shifted, tucking his legs over one of Raphael’s thighs and resting his cheek against his chest. Raphael made sure he was well covered with the blanket so that he felt safe and protected. Fritz pressed his hand to Raphael’s chest. After a while, he started stroking it lightly, tracing patterns against his bare skin. Almost like he was trying to comfort his mate back. Raphael brought one hand to his hair, running his fingers comfortingly through it.

They stayed like that all night, sharing small touches and ensuring each other that everything would be alright.

*~*~*

Art was about done with chasing down wolves in their workplaces. Of course Diego Delarosa, when needed, was not parked in front of the last building on Bay Street, stalking Jamie. Art had to backtrack to the police station and request the man, ‘’what’s up?’’ Delarosa asked, meeting Art in the lobby. In the evening, he looked refreshed. He wore only a short shirt and had a coffee cup in his hand. He immediately recognised Art as Jamie’s friend.

‘’I have a weird request.’’

‘’Shoot.’’

‘’I need you to keep Jamie away from the building for a bit. Like...a couple of weeks?’’

Delarosa’s dark eyes widened, ‘’what in the-‘’

‘’Listen,’’ Art put his hands up quickly to stop any protests, ‘’I’ve timed it, okay? Jamie’s going to have half term now so he won’t have school and if you have to keep him a bit longer, you can call in and say he’s sick.’’

Delarosa stared at Art, ‘’you’re asking me to kidnap him,’’ he deadpanned.

‘’Kinda,’’ Art winced, ‘’look, I need to save our building. It’s the only place any of us can call home. But Jamie will not like my methods. He can’t be there to interfere until it’s done.’’

‘’You do realise this sounds like the _worst_ idea.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Art said, ‘’but I don’t have any others and I’m running out of time.’’

‘’This,’’ Delarosa pointed to Art, ‘’requires a longer conversation.’’

‘’Great,’’ Art grabbed his wrist, ‘’let’s have it now.’’


	14. Your Friendly Neighbourhood Kidnapper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm so sorry about the late update, I have my hands full with Lirim ;-;  
> Thank you so much for every one of those lovely 7 reviews - they were honestly so awesome to read. Thank you for all the kudos, bookmarks and reads as well! If you have the time & feel like you want to read a little bit more of my writing, give Sanctuary a shot! (if you haven't already ;))  
> ENJOY!! <3

‘’Chug, chug, chug, chug...!’’

Valentina obediently chugged her third beer as the small crowd gathered around her cheered. The Crypt was open for business but the group had put a small amount of time aside to celebrate Raphael turning twenty. They had wanted to go out for burgers, but Raphael said he was too busy. He wasn’t even in the club anymore, only three hours since opening. No one knew what he was busy with but between his absence in the past two days and Buster’s confinement his bed, pretending he was having a cold, Val was left to distract her friends from the heavy, strange atmosphere that came with being incomplete. Jamie, Gus and Art cheered as Val raised her empty glass in the air with a victorious whoop, ‘’nice one,’’ Jamie said approvingly, jumping behind the bar with the easiness of a kid whose been running away from the police since he was twelve. He poured Art a blowjob shot. Art was in a sparkly top showing off his pale stomach and scandalous black leather shorts he had made from old jeans. The dancer took the shot glass between his lips and tilted liquor and cheap whipped cream down his throat.

‘’Thanks,’’ he said, glass dropping back into his hand. He set it on the counter, saluted his friends and began weaving through the crowd to where his dance podium stood. Gus slipped behind the counter and under it, adjusting the playlist so Art could start dancing. Val sat at the bar, deciding that pulling Jamie into a conversation (which would be more like a booming match, what with the extremely loud speakers) would best pull her mind away from Raphael’s absence and Buster’s worsening condition.

‘’Hey,’’ a thickly accented, melodic voice said from behind her.

Val swivelled in her stool, leaving Jamie to man the bar against the onslaught of customers. Ellie Winter stood in front of Val. The underground fighter blinked, surprised to see Ellie out of her usual suit. Instead, he wore a tank top and jeans, her lightly muscled arms exposed. Her red hair was scraped back into a thick, complicated braid, Disney’s Rapunzel style. She was missing the usual eye make-up and red lipstick, leaving her looking tired, but young. _Pretty_ , Val thought. She jumped off her stool, ‘’I thought you died in a gutter somewhere.’’ Val hadn’t seen Ellie since the trip to the coffee shop and the unfortunate encounter with Ellie’s sister, Tatiana. She walked off in the direction of the corner of the club, where the music wasn’t as loud.

Ellie followed, ‘’I had my hands full with my pack.’’

‘’Ah,’’ Val said (or, more like, yelled), ‘’the one that had Jamie’s freaky stalker in it?’’

‘’Um...yeah, that one.’’

They reached the corner and Val lowered her voice, leaning against the wall, ‘’and the dude who won’t help us salvage our building?’’

Ellie winced, ‘’pretty much.’’

‘’He’s here, you know,’’ Val nodded towards the dancing crowd, now admiring Art up on his podium.

Ellie gave a small, secretive smile, ‘’you’ve spotted him.’’

‘’I’ve got sharp eyes. He’s been here practically every time the club is open,’’ Val shrugged, ‘’so, why are _you_ here?’’

‘’I came to visit you,’’ Ellie said easily, ‘’I’ve looked into that internship for you.’’

‘’Oh,’’ Val had nearly forgotten about that.

‘’I’m thinking you can start your training around December, start making actual money in the new year...’’

‘’Cool!’’ Val blurted before she could stop herself. She flushed at her childish enthusiasm, ‘’I-I mean...yeah...cool, I guess...’’

Ellie chuckled, ‘’how have you been, Val?’’

‘’Alright...’’

‘’Have you been getting into any more fights?’’

‘’A few,’’ Val didn’t even look guilty about it.

‘’Mmmh,’’ Ellie said disapprovingly, reaching out. Her fingers were startlingly pale against Val’s skin as she tilted her face to the side, ‘’I can see that,’’ she brushed her thumb over the new scar right under Val’s ear, courtesy of some asshole and the screwdriver he’d whipped out of his pocket the moment he realised he’d lose the fight. Val had been lucky. The screwdriver could have easily slit her throat, but she didn’t say that to Ellie. She didn’t know how overprotective the alpha could get and she wasn’t about to find out.

‘’Yeah, uh...’’ Val pushed Ellie’s hand away and shook her head so her bob cut would hide the scar, ‘’thanks for the intern, by the wa-‘’

Suddenly a resounding crash sounded as a guy flew across the room and slammed into the wall. Over the beat of the music, Val heard the screams and shouts of a fight, ‘’shit,’’ she said and hurried towards the commotion, Ellie hot on her heels. Two guys were fighting messily in front of Art’s podium, throwing sloppy punches and slamming into the bar and the wall as they grappled with each other. The fighter in Val cringed at the lack of technique of the two dudes right before she jumped in between them and pushed the apart. She pressed a hand to one guy’s chest, kicking the other away when he tried to pounce on his opponent again. Ellie grabbed him from behind and hauled him away. Judging by the fact that Art had a third guy by the throat, pinned to the podium, Val knew that a fight had broke out between some dudes over Art – something the dancer himself didn’t appreciate. Which left the mystery of who the hell had tossed the fourth guy across the room.

The fight broken up, the crowds went back to dancing. Val shoved the guy she had restrained by the collar towards the stairs leading out of the basement, ‘’get out of here,’’ she snarled, vicious as any wolf. The guy stumbled up the stairs. She left Art and Ellie to deal with the other guys and made her way to the opposite side of the Crypt, where she had spotted Jed March hanging out  a couple of weeks ago. She nearly didn’t recognise him from a distance. His hair, hanging over his blue eyes, his t-shirt and old leather jacket, made him look way younger than he actually was. Val spotted him in the gloom and came to lean against the wall next to him. Jed didn’t look at her, glowering in the direction of the guys now being manhandled by Ellie, ‘’nice throw,’’ she said casually, ‘’you made an impressive crack in the wall with that guy.’’

Jed stopped glowering and sighed, closing his stunningly blue eyes briefly, ‘’I’m sorry.’’

Val just shrugged, ‘’it’s your building, your walls. Speaking of – are you doing anything about the notice?’’

‘’Art and I are dealing with it.’’

Val nodded and pulled herself off the wall. She didn’t really feel like hanging out around a wolf who was clearly in possessive-mode, judging by how his eyes remained glued to Art, ‘’you should be a little bit less obvious about your spying, Romeo,’’ she said and disappeared into the dancing crowd.

*~*~*

‘’You’re home.’’

Raphael had felt a little guilty about making Carmelo stay with a friend for the second night in the row; he also felt a little guilty for ditching his friends when they tried to celebrate his twentieth birthday. Both these feelings disappeared when, having slipped from the party, Raphael returned home. He unlocked the door, went inside and closed it. He was taking his shoes off when Fritz appeared in the small, cramped hallway. He looked like a kid, still shaken up, voice small, dressed in one of Raphael’s jumpers which was way too big for him, and just his underwear. Raphael gave hm a smile, everything but protectiveness for his mate disappearing, ‘’I told you I’d only be a couple hours.’’

Fritz extended his arms out and Raphael reached him in three quick steps, taking the smaller boy into his arms. Fritz hid his face in Raphael’s chest and clung to him, taking a deep, shaky breath. Even though it had nearly been twenty four hours since Fritz appeared on Raphael’s doorstep, he still looked ready to crumble at any moment. Raphael smoothed his hand over his back, ‘’I met Ellie on the way home. She was going to see Val. She said your kids are alright. They’re crashing at her place.’’

Fritz nodded. His husky voice was choked as he whispered, ‘’I should probably go to them.’’

‘’You don’t have to,’’ Raphael murmured, running a hand through Fritz’s coarse dreadlocks, ‘’not yet.’’ Fritz didn’t seem inclined to part with Raphael, either. He quivered in Raphael’s arms and all the tattooist wanted to do was hold him for as long as it took for Fritz to feel safe. Instead, he pulled back slightly, ‘’did you eat?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Fritz said gruffly.

‘’What did you have?’’ Raphael asked suspiciously.

‘’Sandwich.’’

‘’Oh, yeah? With what?’’

A guilty silence followed, ‘’...nothing. On its own.’’

‘’So you just had bread,’’ Raphael chastised and sighed, peering at Fritz, ‘’you have to eat.’’

‘’Don’t wanna.’’

‘’Fritz-‘’

‘’I don’t feel like it. I just wanna...’’ Fritz trailed off, reaching for Raphael. The latter couldn’t even make his arms move up to stop Fritz as he slid his arms around his waist and snuggled into him, like a puppy, ‘’bed...’’ he requested softly.

‘’Fine. But you’re eating later,’’ Raphael said sternly. He pulled away from Fritz, took his hand and led him to the bedroom. It was strange. When Raphael had realised his mate was some werewolf guy, he’d been a little bit freaked out. He wasn’t into guys. He’d never found guys attractive, never wanted to do anything with them. But now, when Fritz needed him, he didn’t even think about all that. It came naturally to him – giving Fritz gentle touches, comforting him, cuddling him at night, the whole lot. As Fritz crawled onto the bed, looking smaller, more defenceless and younger than ever, Raphael felt a strange pang in his chest at the thought that every inch of Fritz had been made for him. That they had literally been fated since birth. It was overwhelming and mind blowing so Raphael tried not to think about it for too long. Instead he crawled up on the bed next to Fritz and sat against the headboard. He opened his arms for Fritz and the boy crawled into them. He sat between Raphael’s legs, pressing his back to his bond’s chest. Raphael tucked his legs up, on either side of Fritz, like a protective wall, and wrapped his arms around his middle. Fritz leaned his head backwards against Raphael’s shoulder and slid his hand down one arm till he reached his hand. He started playing with his fingers.

They stayed like that for a very long time.

After a couple of hours, Raphael felt Fritz snuggle closer to him. His fingers, where they had been playing with Raphael’s, slowed. Raphael hugged him tighter, ‘’sleepy?’’

‘’ A lil’...’’

‘’Its fine. Take a nap,’’ Raphael murmured.

Fritz let go of Raphael’s hand and twisted in Raphael’s arm so he was sideways, knees tucked up to his chin. He pressed a hand to Raphael’s stomach, stroking the muscles with his thumb, ‘’today is your birthday, right?’’

Raphael didn’t ask how his mate knew that, ‘’yeah.’’

Fritz’s face scrunched up like he was going to cry. He quickly blinked his eyes and took a deep breath, ‘’sorry,’’ he said gruffly, ‘’for being here, for...’’

‘’Shhh, idiot,’’ Raphael ran a comforting hand down his arm, ‘’I’m not complaining.’’

Fritz looked up at him and then reached out, brushing the back of his hand against Raphael’s golden brown cheek. He offered him a wobbly smile. Raphael responded with a comforting smile of his own. He leaned down and kissed Fritz’s forehead, ‘’you’re going to be okay,’’ he whispered. When Fritz didn’t look convinced, Raphael leaned closer and kissed his forehead, ‘’seriously, you are.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Fritz said hoarsely. His cupped Raphael’s cheek properly. This close, their noses were brushing, They were sharing the same breathing space, though suddenly it felt as if Fritz was holding his breath. Raphael was perfectly aware of what he was doing as he closed the gap, pressing a quick, chaste kiss to Fritz’s lips. His heart skipped a beat as he did so. Fritz gave a tiny, endearing gasp.

‘’Sleep,’’ Raphael said gently.

Fritz didn’t argue. As he settled back against Raphael, the older boy noticed the tips of his ears were bright red. Raphael grabbed the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around his mate, making sure he felt as safe and protected as he could.

*~*~*

After the Crypt closed, a little after four am, an exhausted Jamie emerged in front of the last building on Bay Street. He had two massive trash bags filled with alcohol bottles in his hands and he was taking them to the dumpster behind the Chinese place the next road over. The landlady that stood in for Jed liked to check the trashcans randomly and call the cops on the tenants if she spotted alcohol, trying to make the council toss them out. Of course, she had no proof it wasn’t one of the older kids drinking, but Jamie took to tossing the alcohol away elsewhere to avoid the hassle.

But this time, he felt uneasy.

Like someone was following him.

He was just turning back onto Bay Street, empty handed, when a familiar voice made him shiver, ‘’Jamie!’’

The blond boy turned to face Diego Delarosa who had risen up behind him like, well, a stalker. Jamie’s heart gave an uneasy beat. It was too late for Delarosa to be patrolling – way too late. Standing still on the sidewalk, hands hanging by his sides, dressed all in black...Jamie’s heart pounded with adrenaline as his fight or flight instinct kicked in. Jamie swallowed thickly, taking a step back. Delarosa wasn’t in uniform. His police car wasn’t anywhere nearby. It looked a lot like Delarosa had been waiting around for Jamie to...be alone.

Jamie whirled around and flew down the street.

Adrenaline pumped in his veins. His breath came out in pants as he sprinted down the road. He only had to reach his building. He didn’t know why but he just knew Delarosa finding him like that wasn’t a sign of anything good. He’d grown up not trusting cops – and seeing a lone cop waiting for him in the dark alley rang all his emergency bells. Jamie sped up the street. The last building on Bay Street was in view now. He reached in his pocket to pull out the keys to the front, subconsciously slowing down.

In the next instance Delarosa’s arm closed around his waist, bringing him to a sudden halt. Jamie inhaled sharply and opened his mouth to scream – right then a cloth drenched in something that smelled sickly sweet was pressed to his mouth. Jamie struggled, kicked and fought with all he had, but Delarosa was ripped, and a werewolf cop, and way older than Jamie.

Before long, he felt his muscles turn to jelly.

He gave a few more feeble kicks before everything went dark.

*~*~*

Diego watched Jamie disappear around the corner of the street from the alleyway. He was carrying two massive bags of trash with him. Diego stayed in the shadows of the alley, waiting for his return. In his pocket was a cloth drenched in chloroform that he’d taken from the station. It weighed his jacket down like a bag of stones. After a few horrible minutes in which Diego went through every single outcome of this situation (all of which ended with Jamie hating him) his mate re-emerged. He was walking empty handed up the street, making his way back to the last building on Bay Street. Diego’s muscles froze as Jamie passed him; he couldn’t move. God, he couldn’t do it. Hurting Jamie like that... he knew it was for his own good, so his beloved building would not be closed down, and yet... _come on, Diego_ , he growled at himself in his head, _move_. He was concentrating so hard on making his legs move that when they finally did and he stumbled out onto the path behind Jamie, he blurted his name out, ‘’Jamie!’’ great move. Not. That was probably the best way to startle a kid into a panic.

And that was exactly what happened.

Jamie stared at him for a moment, took him in. Diego saw the fear blossoming in his eyes. And then Jamie turned and ran, and Diego ran after him, because Art was depending on him and Jamie had to be gone long enough for his little hut on top of the building to be knocked down. Jamie was fast, like a frightened rabbit, but Diego was a wolf, through and through. He caught up with him in seconds. Diego grabbed his mate around his waist, pinning him to his own body, and yanked the chloroform cloth out, pressing it to his face. With every struggle and kick, Diego thought in his head, _I hate you Art. I hate you Art. I_ really _hate you._ Diego could smell the metallic tang of fear off of Jamie and he hated himself for scaring his mate so much. But it had to be done. Diego could have sobbed in relief when Jamie finally went limp in his arms.

He lifted his mate up off the pavement, making sure nobody had seen the amateur kidnapping that had just taken place. He then carried Jamie to his civil car and strapped him into the front seat, hoping he wouldn’t wake up before they made it to his place.

*~*~*

When Art walked into the coffee shop the next morning, he found it in a state of panic. There were no customers, presumably kicked out. Val, Raphael and Gus were at the coffee shop counter. Gus had his hands over his mouth and was trembling visibly. Val was pacing. Raphael had lugged the tattoo parlours phone downstairs and was frantically making calls, ‘’what’s going on?’’ Art asked, though he felt like he knew the answer.

‘’Jamie didn’t come back yesterday,’’ Val said in a slightly panicked voice. She was wringing out her hands and twisting her various metal rings, ‘’after the club closed, we all crashed and no one can find him this morning.’’

‘’What if something awful happened to him?’’ Gus’ lips wobbled.

‘’Alright, please call if you see him,’’ Raphael put the phone down, ‘’we’ve been up a couple of hours, checking all the places we know. Art, do you have no idea where Jamie could be?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Art felt like a bag of stones had been dropped in his stomach, ‘’he’s with Diego.’’

Everyone seemed to freeze.

‘’Wait,’’ Val said icily, ‘’ _what_?’’

So Art told them.

About his meetings with Jed March and his plan to save the building.

About how they had to get rid of illegal establishments, like Jamie’s living space.

About how Jamie couldn’t be here when that happened, because he’d never agree.

As one might expect, Val, Raphael and even Gus were pissed.

They argued that doing that to Jamie was cruel. They tried to think of other ways to save the building but without March’s cooperation, that would be possible. Eventually, they had to admit defeat. Jamie had to be kept away for a while.

And if there was one person who could do that, it was Diego Delarosa.

*~*~*

‘’What the fuck!?’’ Jamie roared, pounding his fists on the doors of Diego’s bedroom, ‘’you’re crazy! You’re a psychopath! Let me out of here, you fucking prick!’’

Diego sighed.

He was sitting on the other side of the doors, rubbing his temples. Jamie had woken up half an hour ago and hadn’t stopped yelling since. He was pounding the doors of Diego’s bedroom so hard his whole apartment seemed to tremble. His curses were getting more creative by the second. Each one was like a stab in Diego’s side. He’d given up on trying to explain to Jamie why he was inside – he couldn’t tell Jamie about Art’s plan. He promised to keep Art’s involvement in the whole thing a secret. But trying to tell Jamie that his confinement was temporary and for his own good only got Jamie more enraged.

Diego flinched when he heard his nightstand crash to the floor. He hadn’t planned on locking Jamie up in the bedroom but with Jamie’s explosive realisation as to what had happened, it had been necessary. He’d have to stay in there until he calmed down enough for Diego to talk to him.

Diego sighed and leaned against the wall. It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...did I lug my laptop to school yesterday to get a head start on this chapter?  
> Yup.  
> Did I ask a table of Chemistry student what sedative people used to knock other up and got really weird looks for it?  
> You bet, but at least I know it's chloroform!  
> I


	15. Trick or Motherfucking Treat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi darlings!  
> I know, I know, I'm alive - surprise! I have my hands full with writing and I've started remaking old clothes into clothes I can take to uni, so, yeah...I know I haven't updated in ages, and I am so sorry.   
> Thank you all for your support so far ;*

On the morning of Halloween, Raphael didn’t want to part with Fritz. Carmelo was back at home but Raphael had asked him to stay in his room, and he kept Fritz largely in his own. Fritz didn’t want – didn’t feel like he could – see other people yet. But Raphael knew Fritz wouldn’t get better holed up in his room – he needed to see his pack, most importantly. Still, when he woke up that morning, Raphael didn’t want to get out of bed. Fritz was sleeping next to him, dreadlocks spread out on the pillow, eyes closed, mouth slightly parted... his skin was warm from sleep. Raphael knew, because he touched his cheek, brushed his fingers down his neck... it was strange. Raphael wasn’t a wolf. He didn’t get influenced by instincts and scents, like werewolves did. And yet he had this strong, dominant need of protecting Fritz, from everything and anything. There was a second instinct, softer, that Raphael tried to ignore – the instinct to keep Fritz in his bed. To do more than just hold him all day. That freaked Raphael out. He wasn’t into guys. Especially not into tough-as-nut, grumpy guys with voices like they smoked forty cigarettes a day. Even if he found all those things endearing about Fritz.

‘’Stupid mate thing,’’ he grumbled to himself. Raphael checked his clock. It was nearly eight am. He’d called Diego the night before from the tattoo parlour’s landline, mostly because he didn’t know Ellie’s number and 911 was easy to remember. They’d agreed to meet this early, before Raphael’s apartment. Raphael crawled out of bed, though he had no desire to leave Fritz. He dressed quickly but quietly and, before he left, he couldn’t stop himself from leaning over Fritz, ‘’be right back,’’ he promised the sleeping boy. He hesitated, before brushing his lips lightly against Fritz’s temple. 

Diego was already outside when Raphael emerged. The cop looked...well, worse for wear. His hair was dishevelled, his jaw covered in stubble, his shirt rumpled. Raphael was weary of him, even though Art had said Diego hadn’t exactly been enthusiastic about kidnapping his mate, ‘’how’s Jamie?’’ he asked immediately.

Diego gave him a bitter smile, rolling up the sleeve of his jacket to show Raphael three angry gashes, ‘’tried to give him breakfast this morning.’’

‘’Ah. So he’s fine then,’’ Raphael said.

Diego winced, ‘’sorry. I’ll give him back as soon as the building is...legalised.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Raphael nodded, voice tight. He knew he should thank Diego for the help, but it just felt wrong thanking someone for kidnapping your friend, no matter how good the intention was, ‘’anyway, Fritz...’’

‘’Yeah. How is he?’’ Diego asked.

‘’I’m...not sure. Better, I suppose. Kind of catatonic,’’ Raphael sighed, ‘’like...he’s not eating properly. And he sleeps a lot, which I don’t mind, but...look, I don’t mind if he stays here,’’ Raphael chose not to say that he _really_ didn’t mind. Like, _really_ , ‘’but he’s not getting _good_ , you know? I think he needs to be around his pack. They need to talk about whatever happened,’’ Raphael hesitated, ‘’he’s...not getting into trouble, is he?’’

Diego shook his head, ‘’the pack of the wolf Fritz took down didn’t press charges, strangely enough. The station put it down to territory feuds which, you know...’’ he shrugged sadly, ‘’happen.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Raphael sighed. The world of werewolves made his head spin, ‘’can you get Ellie to pick him up this afternoon?’’

Diego nodded, ‘’right after I feed the monster under my bed. Or, in this case, the one locked in my bedroom.’’

That actually earned him a soft smile from Raphael, ‘’take care of him, okay?’’

Diego nodded again, ‘’I’ll tell Ellie to come at three.’’

And that was that.

*~*~*

With all the gloom hanging over the Last Building on Bay Street, Gus was more than happy to get away. He’d gone up to see Buster, who had been rolled up in blankets. The room had been dark, curtains drawn, and musty – Buster had assured him he was fine, though his voice was so raspy that it frightened Gus a little. Jamie was gone; Raphael hadn’t come round. He couldn’t even go see DeeDee. So when Alex – radiant, gorgeous Alex with his sunlight smile – knocked on his door and asked if he wanted to go on a date, Gus had eagerly agreed.

Now they walked down the slightly filthy canal, over the stone bridge in the more picturesque side of town. It was cold, and their breath steamed in front of them. Gus hadn’t felt this carefree in a while, ‘’are you cold?’’ Alex asked suddenly. He’d been eyeing Gus too-large, old, navy tweed cloak since they set out.

‘’Ah, I...’’

Alex didn’t wait for Gus to reply. He peeled off one of his gloves and extended it to Gus, who smiled and started putting it on, ‘’no, other hand,’’ Alex said. Gus raised his eyebrows in question but put the glove on his left hand.

And then Alex took his right one.

Alex’s hand was still warm from the glove and it warmed Gus’ chilled palm. Gus’ face heated and he wished he had a scarf he could tuck it into so Alex wouldn’t see. Alex, thankfully, got shy himself  and looked the other way. When Gus glanced at him, the tips of his ears were red. That made Gus smile.

Gus stopped in the middle of the largely empty bridge and leaned on it, ‘’I wonder if it will snow this year.’’

Alex stopped, too, resting his arms on the bridge, ‘’I hope so. I like the snow. Do you?’’

Gus turned, mimicking Alex’s pose, ‘’I suppose,’’ he shrugged, ‘’I don’t like when it’s cold.’’

In the next instance Gus’ arm was around his waist and he was being pulled towards him, turned, until he was pressed up against his side. Gus went bright red, ‘’smooth,’’ he squeaked, and Alex laughed. And then Gus laughed, too, and he relaxed, leaning into Alex. He tilted his head up to give him a grin, at the same time Alex looked down at him. His own smile died on his lips, his chiselled face suddenly turning serious.

And then, before Gus could react, Alex leaned over and kissed him.

It was only a peck, a brush of lips against lips. Before Gus even finished blinking, it was over. Alex exhaled, his breath materialising in a white puff, and ran a frustrated hand through his hair, keeping his other arm around Gus, ‘’shit,’’ he whispered, ‘’this is bad.’’

Gus suddenly felt very, very uncertain, ‘’w-what do you mean?’’

‘’I...’’ Alex groaned and now he released Gus, taking a step back, ‘’shit , I’m getting dispatched in the summer. I...you...this...’’

‘’You’re right,’’ Gus stepped back, too, feeling jittery. He wanted to turn, and run. He wanted to hide under his covers and never get out, ‘’we should stop this now.’’

‘’No!’’ Alex rushed to him, extended his hand out as if to pull him closer again, but Gus stumbled another step back, ‘’no, that’s not what I’m saying! I...I _like_ you, Gus,’’ his voice cracked with desperation.

‘’Yeah, I like you, too,’’ Gus whispered, putting his arms around himself. He hated situations like this. He hated rejection. He’d had enough from his family, ‘’so...’’ his voice wobbled. He couldn’t look at Alex, ‘’so it would be better if we just part now. In a couple months...it will be harder...’’ oh, God, he was going to cry, Gus felt it.

‘’No, Gus, I can’t...I want to see you...’’ but Alex’s voice faltered. He wanted to ask Gus to wait for him, while he was away, serving his country. But how could he? Gus deserved better than sitting at home waiting for a man who could, potentially, never return.

Gus finally looked up at Alex. His eyes glistened and it made Alex’s heart break, ‘’I...thank you. For being so nice to me. But from now on, please don’t come to the coffee shop anymore. It will be better if I...’’ his voice broke, ‘’just don’t see you anymore. I’m sorry. It’s selfish but I just...don’t want to get hurt...’’ he gave Alex a wobbly smile that told the soldier his mate was already hurt. Then Gus turned and ran and Alex wanted to run after him. But he knew it was pointless. Gus was right. If either of them got attached, in the summer it would be...

Bad.

*~*~*

After returning from his chat with Raphael, Diego took a deep breath and knocked on the doors of his bedroom, ‘’Jamie?’’

For the first time since Diego took (he hated thinking about it as kidnapping) Jamie, he wasn’t met with screams, curses or furniture thrown at the door, but utter silence. His heart clenched with worry at the lack of response, ‘’I’m coming in,’’ he blurted, unlocking the door quickly and pushing the doors open.

Jamie was still there.

He sat calmly on the bed, cross-legged. He looked calmly at Diego when he came in, ‘’o-oh,’’ Diego felt stupid about panicking over the lack of response, ‘’sorry. I just wanted to check if you’re okay. Need anything?’’

‘’No,’’ Jamie said, ‘’are you just going to lurk there by the doors?’’

Diego’s dark eyebrows shot up. Jamie attacked him with whatever he had at hand every time Diego came in to give him food – the lamp, pillows... he never asked him to come closer. Diego approached wearily, as if walking up to a frightened animal. Except Jamie didn’t seem frightened. He nodded to the space next to him on the bed, ‘’sit. We need to talk.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Diego sighed and sat down, ‘’you seem...calm.’’

‘’Can’t stay angry forever,’’ Jamie said. He turned on the bed to look at Diego, uncrossing his legs.

Diego took a deep breath. Even if he couldn’t mention Art or the others, he had to let Jamie know that this hadn’t been his idea – he had to salvage any scraps of a good relationship they could, hopefully, have, ‘’look, I know I’ve been acting strangely-‘’

‘’What, d’ya mean the kidnapping or the stalking?’’

Diego groaned, ‘’why does everybody think I was stalking you? Ellie, you...’’

‘’Cause you were,’’ Jamie said bluntly, shifting closer to peer at Diego. He was acting...strangely, ‘’you were parked in front of the coffee shop every day.’’

‘’I wasn’t...’’ Diego groaned again, and looked at the opposite wall, embarrassed that he came off as a stalker to his mate, ‘’that wasn’t cause I was stalking you. The building was supposed to be under watch from the cops anyway, cause of the club and any other illegal stuff. I volunteered, so I could help you out in case the club got busted or whatever.’’

Jamie, who had been slowly extending his hand towards the key that sat in Diego’s pocket while he talked – distracted, as had been Jamie’s plan – faltered at the sudden revelation. It made sense, really. Diego had been so lenient with him – with DeeDee and the club... it would make sense that he wasn’t a stalker. Except Jamie’s entire negative perception of Diego, that allowed him to keep his mate at a distance, stemmed from the stalker-thing and if that wasn’t there...

His hesitation cost him.

Diego glanced back at Jamie to gouge his reaction and spotted the hand outstretched towards his pocket, where the key was. Diego’s eyes widened with realisation as to why Jamie had been acting so strangely – it was a trap.

‘’Shit,’’ Jamie proclaimed and dived for the key in a last desperate attempt.

Diego was, of course, faster. He caught Jamie’s wrists but Jamie was vicious, and his fight caught Diego by surprise. They rolled on the bed, grunting, Diego trying to pin Jamie down. He still hadn’t managed to tell Jamie that he was safe and Diego wasn’t a kidnapper, and for that he needed Jamie calm. Though it didn’t look like that would work. Jamie thrashed under him, freeing limbs as Diego fought to keep the others pinned down with his own bodyweight. Finally, Diego caught both his wrists in his large hands and pinned them above his head. Jamie’s wrists were thin and felt fragile under Diego’s hands, like they would snap – that realisation distracted Diego from the fact that he and Jamie were very, very close.

Diego felt Jamie’s fluttery breath brush against his jaw and he looked down sharply to see Jamie staring at him with a mixture of fear and anger. His eyes were wide, his mouth parted as he caught his breath. His hands, pinned under Diego’s, were fisted. If Diego leaned down an inch, their noses would brush. Before he could stop himself, Diego’s eyes flicked to Jamie’s lips, parted and inviting...

‘’Don’t,’’ Jamie’s voice was a shaky whisper.

Diego snapped out of it, ‘’I wasn’t going to,’’ he murmured. Suddenly, he knew he had to get out of that room. Everything was going so, so wrong. Jamie would hate him for sure, now. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t the stalker anymore, but he was still the kidnapper.

Diego sprung off the bed and hurried out of the bedroom, locking it behind him.

*~*~*

That afternoon, Ellie’s bright red supercar pulled up underneath Raphael’s apartment block. Raphael was leaning against the wall by the window, watching for it, as Fritz got dressed. His clothes were washed but Raphael didn’t want him to wear them, since they’d been stained in blood. With Fritz’s short height, Raphael’s jumper hung off him and the jeans were rolled up to his ankles. He was now slinging Raphael’s duffel bag, filled with his clothes, over his back, ‘’ready to go?’’ Raphael asked, half-hoping that Fritz would say no.

But Fritz just nodded and shuffled on the spot, staring at his feet, ‘’thanks,’’ he whispered.

Raphael nodded, too, feeling his throat close up. He had no idea where this feeling came from – this desperate need to keep Fritz here, with him, safe and happy. But Raphael knew that he had to go back to work, had to see his friends – and that Fritz would just get depressed, sitting by himself all day in Raphael’s room, ‘’I’ll walk you to the door,’’ Raphael said softly.

They walked across the apartment but once again came to a stand-still in the corridor, by the doors.

‘’I should go,’’ Fritz mumbled, ‘’Ellie’s waiting...’’

Raphael didn’t say anything and Fritz finally looked up, met his eyes. Slowly, Fritz extended his hand, as if he couldn’t help touching his mate. His palm cupped Raphael’s face, his thumb brushed against his cheekbone, gently. Then he shifted his hand, caressing the back of it against Raphael’s jaw. And for a second, Raphael thought that Fritz would kiss him – and he didn’t care. He _wanted_ it. But then Fritz just leaned up on his tiptoes and wrapped his arms around Raphael’s neck, so tightly Raphael could scarcely breathe. He hugged Fritz back, nonetheless, sinking his nose into his hair and closing his eyes. He soaked in Fritz’s warmth, the strange but pleasant scent that always clung to him but Raphael couldn’t place, his thin but strong body under his hands...

Too quickly, Fritz pulled away, ‘’bye,’’ he whispered and slipped out of the doors.

Immediately, Raphael wanted to call him back. But he let him go.

*~*~*  


‘’Sure you’re going to be okay?’’ Ellie brushed a hand down Fritz’s dreadlocks as she dropped him off by the warehouse, where his pack was already waiting. She felt more protective over Fritz than usual. Even if he was an omega, he was one of her stronger, more resourceful wolves. The fact that he had been attacked, and forced to take the other wolf down, at nineteen... ‘’I’ll come by in the evening.’’

Fritz didn’t argue, ‘’thanks,’’ he murmured. He looked tired.

‘’Take care of yourself,’’ Ellie squeezed his shoulder and got back into her car. She waited for Fritz to disappear in the warehouse – now stocked up with some weapons in case of another attack – before setting out. She was already trying to find Fritz’s sub-pack new living quarters, since the warehouse had been compromised – and it didn’t have central heating.

Ellie didn’t bother turning the radio on – she drove in silence back to her condo. She was distracted, by the whole situation with Fritz. Who the hell would attack her pack, when the territory very clearly smelled like her? She parked her car and hurried upstairs, to do some research.

Val was sitting outside her Condo.

‘’Val,’’ Ellie said, surprised. Her key-card hung limply from her fingers in surprise as the woman took in her mate, sitting on the floor, waiting for her.

‘’Jesus. Finally,’’ Val stood up. Ellie marked her tatty leather jacket – not suitable for the weather – and frowned, but didn’t say anything, ‘’we need to talk.’’

‘’Come in,’’ Ellie unlocked her doors and led Val in. Often, a member of her pack was inside, but right then it was empty.

Val unceremoniously dumped herself on one of Ellie’s pale couches, ‘’do you want cof-‘’

‘’One of your wolves bit my friend,’’ Val said bluntly and Ellie froze, ‘’he’s been running a fever for days, he won’t leave his room and he’s constantly in pain. None of the others know, but...’’ she faltered, only for a second, but Ellie picked up on how frightened she was. And it made her want to tear out the throat of whichever one of her wolves put her in this situation.

‘’Gideon,’’ Ellie guessed. He’d been acting strange lately. He was distant, snappy, and there was the last full moon – when Gideon had come and asked to be chained up, long after the others had been, long after the run. He smelled of blood and fear. He of course refused to talk about it, but if he’d bitten Buster... it all made sense, ‘’I’m going to kill him,’’ Ellie said darkly.

Val shook her head, ‘’he can go die in a gutter for all I care. I came to ask for your help with Buster,’’ she bit her lip, ‘’he’s bad. I don’t think you’re supposed to shift for days and days.’’

‘’You’re not,’’ Ellie agreed, ‘’he’s not letting himself change, most likely. You just...need to talk him into it.’’

‘’I what?’’

‘’Tell him it’s okay to change. That he’s safe. He’s probably scared out of his mind,’’ Ellie sighed, ‘’poor kid. But that’s it. The change can’t be reversed and it can’t be stopped, just slowed, which makes it more difficult. Usually a human changes into a werewolf in the span of one night. If he’s kept himself in limbo for that long...well, it could be dangerous.’’

Val nodded, uncertainly, ‘’I’ll...try.’’

Ellie nodded back, ‘’come, I’ll drive you. I’ve got someone to pay a visit to anyway.’’

*~*~*  


Gideon opened the doors at 4pm, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed. His bleached hair was dishevelled, his eyes bleary. He wore only a red satin robe, opened to reveal boxers and nothing else, ‘’what?’’ he snapped.

‘’Oh,’’ Ellie raised a perfect eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest as she stood in front of the doors to Gideon’s apartment, ‘’hungover?’’

Gideon sighed impatiently, rubbing his temple, ‘’what do you want?’’

‘’I want a great many things,’’ Ellie gave him a venomous smile, taking a step forward, making Gideon take a step back. She slammed the doors to his apartment closed with her foot, ‘’hanging you using your intestines is my personal favourite, although tying you to my car and dragging you across town is a close second.’’

‘’What did I do?’’ Gideon snarled, defensive.

‘’While you’ve been out partying,’’ Ellie revealed her canines, ‘’you’re _mate_ has been going through hell.’’

Gideon paled, ‘’what are you talking about?’’

‘’I know Buster is your mate and I know you bit him,’’ Ellie said, ‘’he’s been struggling with his change for days, thanks to you. While you’ve been out having the time of your life.’’

Gideon stumbled back and fell on the couch, staring at Ellie with wide eyes. For once, Ellie didn’t have a surge of protectiveness. She wanted Gideon to be shocked and appalled and hateful of what he did. He deserved it. And Ellie didn’t want to look at him for a moment longer, ‘’I’ll leave you to think that through,’’ she said coldly and stormed out of his apartment.

*~*~*

It was hard, watching council officials and cops in the Crypt – where Art had let them in.

With Jamie out of the way temporarily, not shielding his beloved club like a pit-bull, Art had gone straight to the council office and demanded the raids on the club stop. They’d been sceptical, but Art could be rather persuasive – and with all the letter-writing tips he’d gotten from Jed in lessons, a couple well-drafted notes sent out to council members earned him this visit. He’d of course made sure the alcohol didn’t exceed the amount permitted in a club and that it was all legal and well-priced. He didn’t mention the weed or Jamie’s underage bar tendering, of course.

‘’And?’’ Art asked when finally the leader of the committee came over with their clipboard.

‘’Everything seems in order,’’ the official said in a clipped tone; she was clearly one of the people who wanted the building knocked down, ‘’but we’ll need more proof of the validity of this club. We’ll send officials to monitor the working of it on open nights and we’ll need the permission of the owner of the building before we decide anything.’’

‘’Of course,’’ Art said, ‘’you’ll have it.’’

‘’By Friday,’’ she added with a cruel little smile.

‘’Yes,’’ Art gave her a smile back, and his was deadly.

As the committee filed out, Raphael came bounding down the basement steps leading to the back garden and raised an eyebrow at the disappearing members, ‘’what are you doing?’’

‘’Getting our club a license,’’ Art said calmly, coolly, and turned to Raphael, ‘’what’s up...?’’ his eyebrows shot up when he took in Raphael. He was wearing his leather jacket and his face had been painted with cheap face paint to resemble a skull. With his height, bulk, and tattoos peeking out from under his collar, he looked truly terrifying.

Raphael pointed to his face, ‘’Halloween. Did you forget?’’

‘’No, no, of course, I just...’’ Art sighed, ‘’yeah, kind of.’’

‘’No fear,’’ Raphael grinned, and the paint made his face look grotesque. Val, who always did the painting, outdid herself. Raphael produced a pointy witch hat from behind his back and plopped it on Art’s pale hair, ‘’come along, Good Witch of the...west, was it?’’

‘’I’d rather be the Bad Witch of the Crypt.’’

Raphael laughed, ‘’fine, fine,’’ his mind was still occupied with Fritz and Art’s humour was helping to distract him.

Upstairs in the coffee shop, the rest of the gang was ready. Gus – sweet, cuddly Gus – had the black robe on, the one he wore every year. The hood came down over his eyes, making him look surprisingly creepy. Like a grim reaper. Val was her usual devil – she wore a red top and a pair of cheap, plastic horns.

Val glanced around and her heart sank. Without Jamie or Buster, it didn’t feel the same. Buster had finally changed. It had been surprisingly easy. Buster’s body had been on the edge, strained, and Buster was tired. Val had stroked his hair and assured that all would be fine and Buster changed. He cried out and Val had to clamp her hand over his mouth. Then he shook and passed out. He was still breathing, though. After an hour or two, the colour started coming back into his cheeks, ever so slightly, and his breathing evened out. He was asleep for the first time in days. Val didn’t have the heart to wake him so she told the others the fever had broken and Buster was sleeping it off. As for Jamie...well, he was still in Diego’s house. Val was still angry as hell at Art for it, but a part of her knew that it had to be done.

‘’Ready?’’ Raphael asked gravelly.

Trick of Treating wasn’t something they did for fun. It was an annual mission. The human pack could barely afford sweets – this was their chance to actually get some, plus loose change from the unprepared. It was like scavenging for food, and the group took it very seriously.

‘’Ready,’’ the pack nodded.

Raphael grinned, ‘’Let’s go Trick or Treat this bitch.’’


	16. Welcome to the Crypt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiya kids! Long time no see~  
> Enjoy!

 

The warehouse doors rattled as they were pushed open by Rosita. Raphael didn’t miss the flash of her knife as she quickly hid it in her pocket. He didn’t blame Fritz’s sub-pack for being on high alert after the attack from that lone wolf that Fritz had killed, ‘’it’s you again,’’ the pink-haired woman observed. She pulled down the bandana hiding her mouth and nose.

‘’Hi,’’ Raphael said, hands in pockets. He clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling his heart pound. He hadn’t seen Fritz in over a week and just the thought of being around his mate made his blood pressure spike, ‘’is Fritz in?’’

‘’You just missed him.’’

Raphael’s heart sank. He hesitated, ‘’how just?’’

‘’You  won’t catch up to him,’’ Rosita said apologetically. She liked Raphael and she was getting tired of covering for Fritz.

Raphael sighed, ‘’when is he going to be home?’’

Rosita shrugged, ‘’he comes and he goes.’’

Raphael didn’t believe that. After the attack, he would have wanted to be close to his pack, to make sure they were safe. Maybe Raphael had done something Fritz didn’t like. He couldn’t think of anything, but he was pretty darn sure Fritz was avoiding him, even after the days when they were cooped up in Raphael’s flat, ‘’thanks,’’ he said dejectedly, turning to go.

Rosita bit her lip. She knew she was technically not meant to say, but... ‘’we’re moving,’’ she blurted.

Raphael whirled back round to face her, ‘’what?’’

‘’Ellie’s got us a house,’’ Rosita was relieved. November had started and the nights were getting colder, ‘’it’s going to be, like, a safe-house for her pack. A place to go to if we need it but it’s pretty big and she said we can stay there permanently.’’

‘’That’s great, Ros,’’ Raphael said but he looked worried, ‘’is it...far?’’

‘’Raze street,’’ Rosita said and Raphael relaxed. Raze wasn’t far from their current dwelling, ‘’there’s a lot to do with the move and all, so I’ll tell Fritz to just come see you when he has the time.’’

Raphael nodded stiffly, ‘’thanks again.’’

‘’See ya,’’ Rosita actually felt bad for Raphael as she watched him go. The boy’s shoulders were slumped and he looked miserable in his worn, black fleece jacket, the sleeves too short, exposing his golden brown wrists. She sighed and, when he disappeared around the corner from the abandoned warehouse district, she closed the warehouse doors and put the chain back in place. She tracked her way through the maze of corridors to Fritz’s room. He was all packed up now, which didn’t mean much. The room looked mostly as it had when they first arrive – the old mattress, the empty space. Fritz’s single box of stuff was next to the other boxes in the main room, where it would be packed into a moving van Ellie had hired. Fritz seemed to be doing a last sweep of the room, ‘’Raphael came again,’’ she informed him, leaning against the doorway.

‘’I know,’’ Fritz didn’t look at her, nudging the mattress with his boot, ‘’I smelled him.’’

Rosita gave him a look, ‘’so why am I greeting him? And why are you making me pretend like you’re not here?’’ Fritz didn’t answer and Rosita shook her head, ‘’no one is blaming you for what you did. So whatever happened with Raphael after-‘’

‘’Nothing happened,’’ Fritz snapped, making Rosita shut up. Just the thought of that boy’s mangled body when he shifted from wolf to human after Fritz had...it made him shudder. He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to burden Raphael with it. The tattooist had enough of his own shit.

Rosita gritted her teeth together and finally said, ‘’so what is your plan? Avoid him forever?’’

‘’He’ll go away eventually.’’

‘’Bullshit,’’ now Rosita was snapping, ‘’he’s your mate. That shit doesn’t go away.’’

‘’Trust me,’’ Fritz said coldly, ‘’I’m well aware.’’

Rosita huffed, shook her head and left Fritz alone, disappearing into the corridors of the warehouse. Fritz sighed and looked at the opposite wall. He dug out a tube of smarties from his pocket. He was scared. Of what he’d done, yes, but also of what had happened in those days at Raphael’s place. Fritz was attached, he knew as much. It scared him, wanting to be with someone else other than his pack. It scared him how much he craved Raphael’s presence during the day and burned for his touch at night. He wanted Raphael to touch him differently to how he had at his apartment. To touch him more intimately, in a way Raphael clearly didn’t want to. They’d established that they’d only be friends and yet Fritz was so fucking attached...

He looked down at the tube of smarties and kissed his teeth. He liked M&Ms.

It was Raphael who liked smarties.

*~*~*

‘’Mickey,’’ Val said gently, nudging Buster, under the mounds of his covers, with her toe, ‘’you can’t stay here forever. You have college and work. Your aunt is worried about you. We all are.’’

‘’Go away,’’ Buster’s voice was muffled by the covers.

Buster was a werewolf, that much was clear, and the only people that knew were Buster, Val and Ellie. Buster felt it in his bones – he was stronger and the urge to go and just run was overwhelming. And yet that didn’t change the fact that he was more terrified than he’d ever been. He felt that if he left his bed, he’d die. He couldn’t bear the thought that his friends might shun him. Werewolves had been nothing but bad for them – Diego was stalking Jamie, Jed March was going to give up the building, Fritz was a goddamn gangster and Gideon... _fucking_ Gideon... Buster didn’t want to be one of them.

‘’Seriously,’’ Val felt her frustration spike. She couldn’t take seeing her friend like this for much longer, ‘’you can’t stay in bed for the rest of your life. There’s people depending on you.’’

For once in his life, Buster minded. He couldn’t think about taking care of his aunt; for once, he wanted to depend on someone else. He was meant to depend on Gideon. The werewolf should step up and take charge of his mess. Buster hated himself for wanting the very man who had done this to him to crawl under the covers and hold him as he sobbed, ‘’I want to sleep.’’

‘’You’ve been sleeping for weeks,’’ Valentina snapped. It was a lie. Buster had barely slept. Until last week, he had been in a constant limbo of pain. He had though he would die more times than ever before in his danger-filled life, ‘’look, you’re a werewolf now. I know that it must be scary,’’ Val knelt by the bed and put her hand on the mound of covers Buster was buried underneath, ‘’but I’m with you all the way, Mick. So are the others. We’re family. We won’t turn on your just because of that.’’

But Buster didn’t believe her. Val was like a sister; she’d never abandon him. But the others? Jamie with his sharp tongue and Gus with the fear that easily arose in him and Art with all his anger towards their situation and Raphael... ‘’I can’t, Val,’’ he squeaked.

He was grateful when she finally left him alone.

*~*~*

After class, Art stopped by Jed’s desk, hovering there. He was making a habit out of it.

Jed had already whipped out the stack of assignments from their previous class and was about to go through some mind-numbing grading, ‘’if this is about that building-‘’

‘’It is,’’ Art said, ‘’don’t be so off-hand about it. It’s my home.’’

‘’You’re right,’’ Jed laced his fingers on the desk and looked up at Art, ‘’I’m sorry.’’

Art tucked his hands into his pockets, chewing his cheek, ‘’I need your permission for something.’’

Jed huffed, amused, ‘’I’m your teacher, not your parent.’’

Art rolled his eyes, ‘’not that kind of permission. Look,’’ he stepped forward so the only thing separating them was the desk. He dropped his voice, ‘’you know the club in the basement?’’

‘’What club?’’ Jed asked automatically. He didn’t want Art knowing he’d been spying on him – and his dancing.

‘’You know what club,’’ Art sighed, ‘’the Crypt?’’

‘’I may have heard of it,’’ Jed said vaguely.

‘’Yeah, well, it’s illegal. We have – _had_ – an underage bartender and stuff. But I fixed up the illegal parts. Had the council come and check it out, monitor the alcohol, do a check-up on an open night and all that jazz,’’ Art said, ‘’they can’t fault the establishment. The only thing I need now is your permission. By tomorrow.’’

‘’You want me to agree to having a club in my building?’’ Jed raised an eyebrow.

‘’You said I have to get rid of the illegal parts if you’re to even try and save it,’’ Art challenged. He put his hands on the desk and leaned forward, ‘’with this, the club will get its licence. The hut on top of the building is getting demolished by the end of the month.’’

‘’I told you to get rid of the club not to legalise it.’’

‘’You never specified,’’ Art said, almost angrily, but then he sighed and his shoulders sagged, ‘’seriously, sir. I don’t like begging you for things. So please don’t make me do it for much longer.’’

Jed studied him with his startlingly blue eyes. He rapped his fingers on the desk and finally, something akin to a smirk tugged on his lips, ‘’fine,’’ he said, ‘’I’ll make the arrangements for you to get your licence. But I want something in return.’’

Art froze. Oh, Jesus. What if Jed wanted to pursue their mate relationship after-all...Art licked his lips nervously, ‘’and what would that be?’’

Jed reached into the stack of papers and pulled out Art’s, already graded, ‘’this,’’ he tossed it onto his desk, ‘’was very good. Far better than I’d expect from someone your age. You’ve improved at an astounding speed.’’

Art flushed, ‘’o-oh,’’ no one had ever complimented him academically.

‘’I think English is your strong suit, as useless as you think it might be,’’ Jed smiled, earnestly now, ‘’with your way with words, you could go to the university.’’

Art stared, ‘’what!? _Your_ university!?’’ he remembered how prestige it had seemed, how huge and old and intimidating. No way did he belong in there. He’d never even thought about university – just getting through community college till he could leave education behind him forever. That’s what the whole gang wanted for themselves, except for Gus.

‘’It would open up many doors for you,’’ Jed said, ‘’but you need to work at it. So I want you to read this,’’ he dug into his desk and pulled out a thin book titled _The Bloody Chamber_ , ‘’and write on it. Pick your question from the spec paper on the internet.’’

Art stared, ‘’you’re going to legalise my club if I write you an essay?’’

‘’Pretty much,’’ Jed slid the book over the desk with a smile, ‘’have a nice day, Arthur.’’

Art stared at the book, stunned. Finally, he picked it up. And walked out, leaving Jed smiling to himself.

*~*~*

Diego unlocked the doors to his bedroom, which had become Jamie’s prison, and simply said, ‘’come out.’’

Jamie stared at him, ‘’you’re letting me go?’’

‘’I wish,’’ Diego sighed and stepped back from the door, revealing the hallway, ‘’we need to have a proper conversation. And I can’t have you trying to run all the time...at least not until I’m done talking.’’

Jamie peered at his mate with a mix of weariness, fear and anger. Diego hated Art for making him do this. But he knew he couldn’t let Jamie go, not yet, so he just had to do his best at salvaging the last scraps of their relationship. Jamie finally got off the bed and slowly approached the door. He glanced at Diego and, when the office didn’t stop him, slipped through, ‘’come with me,’’ Diego said.  He started down the corridor and Jamie automatically searched for exists. There were none. The corridor was narrow and windowless, although the walls hung with photographs. Jamie couldn’t help glancing at them as he went past.

One was a huge family picture in someone’s garden. Diego was much younger, barely a teenager – he was skinny and wiry, dressed in uni graduation robes with family and friends gathered round him. He was grinning, holding his diploma proudly. The sky-scrapers of the werewolf district rose in the distance. The next picture was more recent, of half a dozen guys, arms thrown over each other, caught mid-laugh. They were dressed in police uniform – maybe Diego’s buddies from his station back in the werewolf district. Maybe his previous pack. The third photo was of someone that looked like Diego’s sister, dark haired and honey skinned like him. She was in a wedding dress and Diego was in a suit. Jamie had to admit he looked hella handsome in one. He quickly looked away.

The corridor fanned out onto the living-room-kitchen area. One corner was taken up by a black marble counter and a kitchen unit. The rest of the room, lit by bright sunlight falling through the windows, was taken up by a large table; the other corner was occupied with a worn leather couch and a TV mounted on the wall. Jamie’s heart skipped when he located the doors behind the couch, closed. That was his shot for freedom. But Diego made his way to the kitchen unit and put the kettle on, ‘’do you want tea?’’

Jamie didn’t want tea – he wanted to bolt. But a part of him made him stay put. His mate was asking to be listened to, just for a moment. Jamie would give him that. Then he was gone, ‘’sure,’’ he said slowly, walking over. He sat on one of the stool at the counter, keeping it between him and the wolf. Diego didn’t say anything for the entirety of making the two teas. He stayed on the other side of the counter, putting Jamie’s mug in front of him. He set his own down. Neither touched their drink. Finally, Diego spoke, ‘’I didn’t bring you here because you’re my mate. I’m...’’ he sighed, ‘’I’m a cop, for the love of God. I don’t do stuff like this.’’

‘’Then why did you?’’ Jamie stared into his tea. He didn’t want to look at Diego.

‘’I...can’t tell you,’’ Diego wanted to. It would all be so much simpler, ‘’at least not for now,’’ he added quickly, ‘’this will all be sorted in a couple of weeks,’’ he promised and Jamie stared.

‘’You want me to stay here for a _couple of weeks_?’’ he hissed.

‘’Oh, God,’’ Diego ran a hand through his dark hair, ‘’shit, this is going to sound so bad, but I need you to trust me. It’s for your own good.’’

‘’This makes no sense.’’

‘’I know,’’ Diego sighed, ‘’I know.’’

Jamie pushed his mug away, ‘’are you done talking?’’

‘’I suppose so.’’

‘’Great,’’ Jamie said.

Then he picked up his mug – God, he hated tea – and threw it full-force at Diego. The man’s reflexes were better than expected. He dodged easily but Jamie didn’t wait to see his reaction. He bolted straight for the doors. He just had to get out, find the first person he could and if he could just- Jamie reached the doors, heart pounding wildly, shoved them open...

And swore as he took in a small, marble bathroom.

Wrong.

Fucking.

Door.

He whirled round just as Diego reached him, ‘’what the hell!?’’ the wolf demanded, grabbing Jamie’s arm, ‘’did you not hear a word of what I just said!?’’

‘’I heard!’’ Jamie yelled, desperation making him break down. It wasn’t so much that he was afraid of Diego – it was the feeling of being caged. So what if Diego was doing this for some ‘higher purpose’ – it didn’t matter, not when Jamie was a virtual prisoner in his house, ‘’I heard you! It doesn’t change the fact that you’ve kidnapped me off the street and now keep me here against my will! Do you have any idea-‘’ his voice cracked and he paused, blinking back tears of frustration, ‘’do you have any idea how fucking terrifying that was?’’ he finished in a whisper, looking at the floor. Diego automatically reached out to comfort Jamie in some way. The human slapped his hand away, ‘’don’t.’’

Diego dropped his hands and racked his brain for some way to stop Jamie looking so terribly, deeply upset, ‘’I...okay, how about this? You can go anywhere you like, just...not to Bay Street. You need to stay away from there for a bit.’’

Jamie’s head snapped to Diego, ‘’that’s my home.’’

‘’I know...but...there’s some...’’ Diego struggled for the right words, ‘’ _changes_ happening. You can’t be around until they’re done, but this will keep it from being destroyed-’’

Jamie’s gorgeous eyes widened and then cold fury overtook them, ‘’what the _fuck_ are they doing to my building?’’ he demanded to know.

‘’We knew you’d react like this,’’ Diego said quickly, kicking himself mentally for spilling too much information, ‘’that’s why you need to stay away-‘’

‘’ _We_!?’’ Jamie hissed, stomping up to Diego. Despite the large size difference, Diego felt threatened, ‘’so this isn’t a one-man job!? You better tell me-‘’

‘’I will!’’ Diego promised, putting his hands on Jamie’s shoulders to calm him. The boy didn’t push him away, which was a good sign, ‘’just not right now. I swear, once its fine for you to go back, I’ll tell you everything you want to and you can rage for however long you’d like. But for now,’’ he spoke slowly, calming himself, ‘’for the next weeks, I need you to trust me. You’re not a prisoner. I know the way this all happened was...bad. And I’m sorry. You know I am, Jamie. This wasn’t my idea but I get the sense of it and if everything goes well, you might even thank me for it.’’

Jamie looked ready to explode. Then he took a deep breath. He glared at Diego for a long while. He exhaled. His shoulders sagged and he pushed Diego’s hands away, ‘’whatever. Like that will ever happen,’’ he snapped, marching past him. He dumped himself on the couch and grabbed the remote. He’d never had a TV but he figured he could work out how to use a remote. He didn’t look at Diego; he’d make his mate regret this. He’d be the worst fucking housemate in the history of housemates, ‘’order me a pizza,’’ he demanded and turned on the TV on the first try.

*~*~*

The Crypt was empty, a couple hours away from opening. Val, Gus, Raphael and Art crowded around the laminated licence certificate Art had slapped on the bar. Val, who sat up on the counter, peered at it, ‘’is it really real?’’ she asked suspiciously.

‘’Yeah,’’ Art was still as stunned as he had been when he got the call from the council that they were finally getting their licence.

‘’I don’t think we’ve ever done anything legal,’’ Val said, scrunching up her nose at the certificate, ‘’feels funky.’’

‘’Well,’’ Art shrugged, ‘’it’s done now. And Raphael, the council thinks you’re the bartender, not Jamie.’’

Raphael crossed his tattooed arms over his chest, ‘’I can mix ink, not drinks.’’

‘’Its temporary,’’ Art said, ‘’till they get off our case.’’

Gus traced his finger over the wooden bar, deep in thought. He’d been down the last week. He felt worse and worse with each day and he knew that it was because of Alex. Or, rather, Gus’ decision to cut ties with him. Gus knew it had been the right decision – if it was so bad now, how much worse would it be by summertime? ‘’So when is Jamie coming back?’’

Art sighed, ‘’by the end of the month, if everything goes well. That’s when the council agreed to knock down the hut atop the building.’’

Gus’ lip wobbled. He was emotionally in pieces after his ‘break-up’ with Alex and he wanted to have his family around him, but Buster wouldn’t come out of his room, for whatever reason, and Jamie was gone, ‘’where will he live when he comes back?’’ his voice cracked and Raphael automatically put an arm around his shoulders.

‘’We’ll think of something,’’ Art sent him a reassuring smile, ‘’he can crash with me.’’

Val raised an eyebrow, ‘’you live in a dusty room under a garage,’’ she didn’t say anything more once Art sent her a sharp look.

‘’We’ll think of something,’’ Art repeated, ‘’one step at a time. First we need to save our building, or _none_ of us will have anywhere to live,’’ he gave them a grim look, ‘’and now Jed March has no excuse. He needs to help.’’

*~*~*

Ellie’s head reared as she caught her sister’s scent a long moment before she banged on the doors of her condo. Ellie forced down the growl that pressed against her lips. Her sister didn’t smell like family – she smelled like danger and challenge and Ellie didn’t want her near her pack. Protectiveness surged up in her and she glanced sideways at Jed. He was sitting on her couch. They’d been having a conversation about the logistics of the pack, drinking coffee. Even though Jed was two years older than her and bigger, she felt a sudden need to bundle him up in a blanket and hide him under her bed, ‘’wait here,’’ she said quietly, set her coffee cup down on the carpet and walked out onto the small corridor. She opened the doors.

Tatiana stood there, as expected, smiling serenely, ‘’sister,’’ she said in Russian and this time Ellie did growl. Things had always been strained between them; it got worse when, after a long fight, their mother gave Ellie the company. Ellie knew that Tatiana, as a beta, had always struggled to keep up with her older sister. She was always second-best, in the shadows. Ellie wanted to feel bad for her, but her smirking, smug face made it impossible. She was one of the reasons why Ellie fled her family home early on. One of their mothers was English and so their parents almost never spoke Russian. It was Tatiana who favoured the language and put Ellie off it. Every time her home language was spoken, the alpha was reminded of her obnoxious, dangerously manipulative little sister.

‘’What do you want?’’ Ellie said tightly, in Russian. She didn’t want Jed to hear or worry about anything that her sister would say.

Tatiana batted her long lashes at Ellie innocently, ‘’can I not visit my big sister, Yelizaveta?’’

‘’No,’’ Ellie said tightly.

Tatiana shrugged, unbothered, ‘’oh, well,’’ her blue eyes glinted with sudden warning. ‘’then I want to issue a challenge?’’

Ellie frowned, ‘’what challenge?’’

Tatiana’s smirk widened, ‘’well, your wolf killed one of mine,’’ she said casually, ‘’so, as the wolf laws dictate, I can challenge you and your pack to a fight for territory and authority. And so I am,’’ her smile disappeared, ‘’a fight. To the death.’’

And suddenly everything slotted into place.

The wolf that had attacked Fritz’s pack in the warehouse. Had it been a fair fight or had Tatiana’s wolf known he’d be killed in the scrap? Maybe he’d been ignorant to her plans, but she’d always had one goal – to legally be able to challenge an alpha, someone of a higher rank, to her territory and even her pack. A blood debt was a legitimate reason. No one would stop the fight and if Tatiana had a big enough pack...

‘’You...’’ Ellie was shaking with internal rage. The very thought of sending one of her wolves to certain death made her feel sick and yet her sister had done it and was smiling right after, ‘’are not worthy of leading a pack.’’

Tatiana didn’t seem fazed, ‘’I’ll be fair about this,’’ she said benevolently, ‘’you will have time to prepare, but we do this on my terms. In the park, on January 12th. Be there or it’s my automatic win.’’

Ellie cured her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms. She needed to ground herself or she’d hit her sister and start the fight prematurely, ‘’get out of my sight,’’ she hissed through gritted teeth.

‘’January 12th,’’ Tatiana said sweetly, turning and giving a wave over her shoulder, ‘’be there.’’

Ellie couldn’t help herself. She slammed the doors shut and leaned against them, taking a deep breath. She pressed the bases of her palms into her eyes. Jed appeared in the doorway, looking concerned, ‘’is everything alright?’’

‘’No,’’ Ellie said quietly, ‘’no, Jed, we’re in shit. Knee-deep, stinking, toxic shit.’’


	17. Midnight Snacking, Falling in Love and Other Weaknesses

Ellie’s fists hit the punching bag in the gym of the condo building. It was sleek and well furnished but not often used by the rich inhabitants of the building. Alex was sitting on the running machine, backwards, drinking a milkshake and watching Ellie. She grunted with each hit, imagining hitting Tatiana’s smug face. As soon as she told Jed about the challenge from Tatiana’s pack, Ellie had called a pack meeting. Asking her wolves to fight with her was just a formality – they were a pack, a family. They’d fight for each other no matter the odds. Though it didn’t look like Alex was doing any training whatsoever. Ellie decided not to say anything – he was straight out of military school. He probably had better training than her.

The doors opened and Ellie stepped back from the bag, wiping her chin with her gloved hand. Gideon strolled in, immaculately dressed, hands in pockets. He hadn’t come to the meeting and Ellie had to chase him down over the phone, ‘’look who decided to show up,’’ she said, accent thick from fatigue.

Gideon looked around the gym exaggeratedly, ‘’well, I don’t see anyone else training,’’ he said with a raised eyebrow, ‘’Diego’s locked up at home; Jed’s at the uni; Fritz is holed up somewhere.’’

Alex put his hand in the air, ‘’I’m here.’’

Gideon gave him a look, ‘’whatever, snowpuff.’’

Ellie frowned, ‘’what’s gotten you into a mood?’’

Gideon shrugged, looking away, ‘’nothing.’’

Ellie paused, hesitated, and then, ‘’the full moon is coming up.’’

Gideon looked at her sharply, ‘’so what?’’ he demanded.

‘’So,’’ Ellie walked up to him and nudged his forehead with her gloved hand, ‘’don’t do anything messed up this time round.’’

Gideon swatted her away, ‘’I won’t.’’

‘’I want you in chains at my place, so I can keep an eye on you,’’ Ellie expected Gideon to argue, but the wolf just nodded. He looked agitated, as if he could sense his mate was in a pinch. Ellie sighed; as the alpha, it was her job to get him in line. And to tell him the consequences of his actions, ‘’Alex, get me a water?’’

‘’Sure’’ Alex, always the ray of sunshine, got up and strolled out.

Ellie pulled the Velcro strap of her glove back and wiggled her hand out, ‘’your bite changed that kid, Buster.’’

Gideon closed his eyes briefly, _oh for fuck’s sake, Adonai give me strength_ , ‘’shit,’’ he said quietly. From his tone, Ellie guessed he’d suspected it but had been in denial since the last full moon.

‘’You should go to him,’’ Ellie said.

‘’No way,’’ Gideon replied defensively, stepping back, ‘’he doesn’t want to see me.’’

‘’You don’t know that.’’

‘’I know that I wouldn’t want to see the person who bit and changed me,’’ Gideon snapped. Then, to Ellie’s surprise, he faltered, hesitated and eventually asked, quieter, ‘’is he okay?’’

‘’He had a hard time changing,’’ Ellie admitted, ‘’but Val told me he’s fully turned now. He...won’t leave his room,’’ Ellie put her hand on Gideon’s shoulder, ‘’seriously, Gid. Go to him. He might need it.’’

Gideon’s green eyes shuttered, ‘’no way,’’ he turned away from Ellie, ‘’I need to go to work,’’ he walked out hurriedly, going over what Ellie had said in his head. He’d made Buster suffer. The boy would probably kill him if Gideon showed his face around Bay Street. But that wasn’t what scared Gideon. It was the heavy feeling that accompanied the knowledge that his mate was suffering, the urge to go to him. It was Buster’s face, haunting his dreams, popping up into his head at the most unexpected moments. Gideon had never needed, wanted or depended on anyone since he left his family home – he didn’t want to start now, ‘’he sucks guys off for money,’’ Gideon hissed at himself, ‘’he’s not good enough for you,’’ but for once, the thing he’d witnessed in that alley didn’t seem to matter.

*~*~*

Diego came back from work relieved to find Jamie still in the house. He was still moody but he seemed to, miraculously, to understand that he couldn’t go back, not yet. And if anything was going to keep him away it was the knowledge that it would save his building. Over the last week he’d relaxed around Diego. At first he’d treated the officer like air, ignoring him and going into his bedroom to avoid him. After a while, he started replying to some of Diego’s questions – just the non-personal ones, like ‘what do you want for dinner?’ and ‘did you see the remote control?’ Now their relationship was civilised and Jamie had even cracked a smile once. It was three days prior and Diego remembered because it had been like the sun peeking out from behind the steel grey clouds that hung over the city nowadays.

‘’Hey,’’ Diego said, taking off his badge and the gear hanging at his badge. He set them on the table, sighed and stretched. Jamie just grunted in reply but at least it was an acknowledgement of Diego’s presence. He was eating a pizza right off the oven tray, spilling crumbs everywhere. Diego came over and snatched a slice.

‘’Hey!’’ Jamie protested, mouth full of cheese and toppings.

‘’Lay off; I’m starving,’’ Diego said lightly and finished the slice in three bites.

Jamie just rolled his eyes, grabbed another piece and turned to go, ‘’you can finish it.’’

‘’Wait,’’ Diego said quickly. Now that Jamie wasn’t trying to claw his throat out every time he spoke it was about time he tried to fix their relationship. He didn’t want anything from Jamie – he was too young and too happy with his current life for Diego to want to mess it up by pushing himself on him. But they could at least be friends, ‘’I thought we could watch a movie,’’ he saw Jamie’s eyebrow go up and spoke before Jamie could, ‘’do you like Star Wars?’’

Jamie’s face went slack, ‘’are you kidding? I _love_ Star Wars,’’ his mom had it on DVD back at home, and until he ran away it had been the only thing he watched, every day.

‘’Good,’’ Diego grinned, ‘’cause it’s about time I get indoctrinated.’’

Jamie chewed on the inside of his cheek. He didn’t know what kind of ideas Diego would get if Jamie was friendly with him. On the other hand, the guy was a cop and seemed pretty trustworthy; besides, Jamie was used to being around people and sitting alone by himself all day was getting lonely, ‘’fine. But if you say you like the prequels more than the originals, I’ll stab your eye out with a fork.’’

Diego’s grin widened, ‘’deal.’’

And so they sat on the couch and Jamie put on Star Wars. Diego expected Jamie to curl up on the other side of the couch and say nothing. But Jamie was suddenly excited and animated, explaining all the intricate details as the movies went and Diego found he didn’t mind. Jamie grinned and laughed more than he had since he got to Diego’s. And after they finished the first three original movies and decided to order dinner, the air seemed much lighter.

*~*~*

Since the last full moon, Gideon had steered clear of Bay Street. Now he found himself standing before its last building. He didn’t take a deep breath. He never did. He just plunged straight into whatever he was meant to do. Gideon pushed open the doors to the coffee shop; it was manned by some random guy, not the cute, blond-haired kid with a big mouth. Gideon didn’t exactly have a plan. Maybe he planned to just march straight into the coffee shop, up the stairs and to Mickey. But as soon as he stepped into the building, the weight of what he’d done hit him. Or, rather, Mickey’s scent did. His usual strange but pleasant scent – sun, fresh, ocean air and fizzy drinks – was muted. Mickey’s scent was clearly distinguishable from all the other scents of the building but it was almost completely overpowered by the stench of fear, self loathing and tears. The smell made Gideon stop dead in his tracks. Suddenly, he was breathing too quickly, his heart ramming against his ribcage-

 _You did this_ , his mind told him, _this is your fault_.

 _Adonai_ , how could Gideon help his mate when he was the reason he was suffering? He imagined going up to Mickey’s room, and then what? Gideon had a big family; he was used to being affectionate. But between living in a conservative Jewish home and then trying to find his footing in a city, starting his modelling career and working in the flower shop (a job he hadn’t shown up to in a few weeks) he hadn’t exactly had time to find himself boyfriends. He didn’t know how to treat a lover. More so, he didn’t know how to treat potential-lover-that-you-changed-into-a-werewolf-who-know-hates-you. He remembered what Mickey had said to him during that full moon – _‘I don’t want to see you ever_ again’. Mickey wouldn’t want his touch. He wouldn’t want his words of comfort. And Gideon didn’t think he’d even be able to supply either. He was cold and condescending to people he did not know and that incident in the alleyway had made him automatically push Mickey away.

‘’What the fuck,’’ said a sudden, cold voice from behind him, ‘’is your dusty ass doing here?’’

Gideon turned and found Ellie’s mate – Val, the dark skinned, short haired fighter – behind him, hands fisted at her sides, dark eyes glaring, ‘’Mickey-‘’

‘’Buster,’’ Val snarled, ‘’is up in his room, depressed, thanks to you. You don’t get to see him.’’

Gideon swallowed, feeling his protective walls go up, ‘’I don’t want to see him,’’ he snapped, ‘’I just came to deliver Ellie’s message.’’

Val gave him a malicious smirk, ‘’you her delivery boy now?’’

 Gideon felt his mouth mirror her smirk, ‘’better than her slut.’’

It happened in a flash. Gideon might have been untrained but he had werewolf reflexes and strength. And yet Val suddenly had him splayed on one of the tables, the small of his back aching from the impact with the edge. She had a knee pressed to his chest and her hands fisted in his collar, ‘’say that again,’’ she snarled, quietly.

‘’Val,’’ the guy at the till gave her a pointed, worried look; some customers were staring; the seasoned ones didn’t even look up from their beverages, ‘’take this outside or to the fights.’’

Val kept glaring at Gideon for a couple more tense seconds. Then he pushed off him and Gideon got off the table, glaring, his hand massaging his chest automatically, ‘’give your message,’’ Val said quietly.

Gideon, for once, didn’t feel like fighting back. He wanted to get out of this place, with this human alpha attacking him and Mickey’s scent mixing with the air. It was all suffocating and too much. For the first time since he left, Gideon wished he was back in the werewolf district, back at home, where everything was uncomplicated, ‘’Ellie says that if he wants to,’’ Gideon couldn’t bring himself to say Mickey’s name, ‘’he’s welcome in her pack.’’

Val’s eyes narrowed, ‘’he already has a pack.’’

Her head turned as the bell at the coffee shop doors opened. A pretty but weak looking woman came in. She was leaning heavily on her umbrella. Val cast Gideon one last glare and hurried over. Gideon exhaled, relieved to have her off his back, and was about to leave when he heard the name he hadn’t been able to say.

‘’Where is Mickey?’’ the woman said and Gideon froze. She spoke to Val quietly but his werewolf ears picked up on their conversation easily, ‘’he hasn’t come to visit me in weeks. I got so worried...’’

‘’Sorry, Carolyn,’’ Val said apologetically, ‘’he’s still got the flu.’’

‘’Can I see him?’’

‘’It would be dangerous,’’ Val said gently, ‘’in your condition. He wouldn’t want you to get more sick. And he wouldn’t want you to worry.’’

The woman, Carolyn, sighed. When Gideon glanced at her, shocked, he saw some resemblance to Mickey, ‘’I’m already worried.’’

Val chewed her lip, ‘’can I help? Do you have enough medicine? What about your bills? I know Buster had some money saved up and I can chip in-‘’

‘’Gosh, no,’’ Carolyn said quickly, ‘’you’re so sweet, Val. And Mickey...God, I still don’t know how a kid his age is able to take care of me so well,’’ she hesitated, ‘’he’s...not taking on any illegal jobs, right? Nothing that would get him hurt?’’

Val smiled a charming smile and Gideon almost believed that she herself wasn’t an underground fighter as she said, ‘’I wouldn’t let him. Come, I’ll get you some tea.’’

It all suddenly made sense to Gideon. He rushed out of the coffee shop, heart pounding, and ran down a few blocks. When Mickey’s scent was finally gone, he leaned heavily on the wall of a random building and inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes, cursing himself. He remembered Mickey sucking off that guy in the alleyway. What had been the reason Gideon made up for it? Had it been money? Well, no he knew what it had been for. A sick family member. But why did it even matter? What difference did it make if Mickey was trying to make money for himself or for someone else? He was clearly doing anything he could to survive. An eighteen year old boy had taken on that burden with a smile and Gideon had hurt him and shamed him for it...

_‘’You’re the only person to ever make me feel ashamed of what I do.’’_

Gideon slammed his hand into the wall.

The sudden pain made him realise what he had just done. He hated losing control and he swore, looking at his bleeding knuckles and the hole in the wall. Bits of brick fell down to the floor. Gideon let his hurt hand fall to his side. He grabbed his phone with the other and dialled his banker. Maybe he couldn’t redeem himself with Mickey directly. But there were some things he could do.

He had a couple of transfers to make to the best hospital in the city.

*~*~*

‘’Raphael!’’ Robbie was the one who opened the doors this time.

The house on Raze street was nice. Sturdy, a couple storeys high, ‘’hiya, Rob,’’ Raphael said as Robbie lunged himself at him. Raphael still wasn’t used to how affectionate werewolves were, especially the younger ones.

‘’Oh my God, this house is awesome,’’ Robbie gushed, ‘’all the bedrooms are sound-proof and there’s so much food!’’

Raphael found himself genuinely smiling, ‘’I’m glad, Robbie. You guys deserve a home,’’ he glanced up at the rows of windows above, ‘’is Fritz in?’’

‘’Ye-no,’’ Robbie caught himself, looking puzzled, ‘’...kind of?’’ he finally said, sheepishly.

Raphael nearly snorted, ‘’can I see him?’’

Robbie shrugged, ‘’technically no but...’’ he stepped back, ‘’if I accidentally leave the doors open and you happen to make it to the third floor...’’

Raphael grinned, ‘’you’re the best,’’ he ruffled the boy’s hair and stepped past him into the house. There was a large corridor, crowded with shoes, jackets and a couple umbrellas. Raphael walked down it into the living-room which was already littered with various things the pack owed from board games to laundry baskets to shopping bags. Dom with his crazy, electrocuted hair sat at the couch, playing Call of Duty. Judging by his bloodshot eyes, he was high off his head, as per usual, ‘’hey, Dom,’’ Raphael said as he crossed the living-room.

‘’Hey, man,’’ Dom said absently.

Past the living-room was another corridor. There were a couple doors here and a staircase at the end. Raphael went for it, passing the open doorway to the kitchen. Rosita was cooking; dark skinned, tattooed Neta ate cereal at the counter; sixteen year old, redhead Graham sat on said counter, chewing bubblegum. Sid was nowhere to be found. Raphael didn’t stop to say hi, lest they kick him out on Fritz’s orders. Now Raphael was sure Fritz was avoiding him. He climbed the stairs with purpose.

It took him a while to find the other staircases but eventually he made it to the third floor. It was made up of a corridor filled with doors. Raphael didn’t want to be impolite but he was at wits end; he needed to see Fritz. He needed to know why his mate had been avoiding him despite how close they’d been after the accident. So he went down the corridor, opening doors. Some were bedrooms; there was a bathroom and a storage room. And then, finally, without a warning, Raphael opened the doors straight into Fritz’s bedroom.

It wasn’t much more furnished than his room at the warehouse. His stuff was still in a single box in the corner, as if he was ready to run for it at any moment. The bed was neatly made. There were blue curtains at the windows and a soft brown carpet on the floor; a bedside table with a lamp and a clock; and a wardrobe in the corner. Fritz was by it, shirtless, filing through a ridiculously small stack of clothes considering the size of the wardrobe. When he heard Raphael come in, he whirled round, ‘’I thought I smelled you,’’ he said wearily. He’d expected Robbie to send him away; that was the order given to all his wolves.

‘’You’ve been hiding from me,’’ Raphael hung back by the door, speaking as wearily as Fritz had. He couldn’t help skimming his skinny chest, the soft definition of muscle on his pale stomach, his thin, wiry arms and pronounce v-lines. He quickly looked back up at Fritz’s face, feeling his cheeks heat.

‘’I haven’t,’’ Fritz turned back to the wardrobe, pulling out a t-shirt.

Raphael didn’t realise when he started moving. He crossed the room in a couple quick steps and before Fritz could even realise how close he was, he pressed a hand to the small of his back. Somehow just the skin-to-skin contact made Raphael feel calmer than in the previous weeks. But Fritz jumped as if Raphael had electro-shocked him and whirled round, pressing his back into the wardrobe, the t-shirt falling from his hands. His chest was rising and falling erratically and his eyes were widened, ‘’why have you been avoiding me?’’ Raphael asked softly. He knew he should step back, give Fritz his space, but he couldn’t.

Fritz opened his mouth, closed it again, sighed. He ran a hand through his dreadlocks, sighed again and finally said, ‘’I don’t...want to show any weaknesses.’’

Raphael glared, ‘’oh, and I’m a weakness?’’

‘’Yes,’’ Fritz said gravelly.

‘’What, loving someone is a weakness?’’

Fritz’s eyes widened and a he stuttered out a breath, ‘’I-I’m not in love with you!’’

‘’Bullshit,’’ Raphael said softly, putting a hand on the wardrobe, caging Fritz in, ‘’you liked it when I touched you. _I_ liked it when I touched you.’’

Fritz went bright red. A blush looked nice on him, ‘’I-I...that...that was different...we didn’t touch like...like _that_...’’

‘’Fritz...’’ Raphael’s hand brushed his naked waist. He had no idea if Fritz even liked him or not so why...why was he so desperately trying to prove that Fritz had feelings for him? Another werewolf and a boy atop of that... the words came out by themselves but Raphael didn’t regret them, ‘’spend the next full moon with me.’’

Fritz’s blue eyes widened and he stared at Raphael. Raphael looked deadly serious, eyes intense, mouth set, ‘’what?’’ Fritz whispered. He forgot how to breathe.

‘’I know what I’m asking,’’ Raphael said. He moved his hand and cupped Fritz’s cheek, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead, ‘’so think about it,’’ he murmured. He stepped away and then quickly left the room.

Still shirtless, Fritz stared at the place where Raphael had just stood. And then he finally exhaled, long and slow, and slid down the wardrobe, looking down at his trembling hands in shock. He was supposed to be a fearless werewolf gang leader, not this – not a trembling omega who wanted nothing more than to run back after his mate and throw himself into his arms.

Fuck. That.

*~*~*

Val had come and gone. She told Buster that Gideon had been in the building but Buster knew already. He’d smelled him straight away. Flowers, cologne and incense. A nice smell but it made Buster whimper and curl under his blankets. He didn’t want to see Gideon, not after everything his mate had said to him.

_Prostitute. Disgusting._

He’d never felt so worthless in his whole life. There was one person in the world destined specifically for him and that person thought he was not better than a pile of trash. Val had come to tell him Ellie’s message – her invitation to the pack. She’d told him not to take it but Buster was tempted. If not for the fact that Gideon would be there, Buster would have already gone. He was a wolf now. His human gang could not accept him. He was scared of being shunned. He’d only had his aunt, Carolyn, and he’d taken care of her for as long as she’d been sick. He always felt so alone, working hard for the meds and the doctors. And then he met his friends. Raphael, who was like everyone’s big brother; Art, always ready to dish out a joke or a hug, depending on the situation; Gus, down for a cuddle at any time of day; Jamie, who was as vicious as he was protective; and Val, the best friend he’d ever had. He couldn’t lose them.

He couldn’t tell them.


	18. The Third Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiya loves!   
> I'm finally back and all the issues have been sorted, so updates will be regular & weekly again.   
> Thank you for all your patience & support!

‘’No talking, no distracting each other,’’ Jed walked down the rows of desks at the community college, giving out lined paper, ‘’you have forty minutes, starting,’’ he glanced at his wrist-watch, ‘’now.’’

The sound of paper rustling and pens clicking filled the room. Jed leaned against the back wall, watching the students read the essay question. Some went into writing straight away and Jed mentally shook his head. His eyes drifted automatically to Art, by the window, next to Buster’s empty seat. He’d given in the promised essay and it had been brilliant. Now Jed wanted to see if he could pull it off in an exam. Art had a bright mind that had taken some digging to bring into the light and Jed didn’t want him to waste it. He found himself strolling down the rows of desks, glancing at students to see what they were writing. He finally came to a stop besides Art’s desk. Art was still reading the question, chewing on his pen.

Jed’s eyes zoned in on his mouth and he felt suddenly mesmerised by the shape of Art’s lips, the soft movement of them around the top of the pen, the flick of tongue within... had Art always had such high cheekbones? And the slender curve of his neck...God, why couldn’t Jed stop his eyes sliding from down it? He shouldn’t have come to school on a full moon night. He was hyper-sensitive and hyper-aware, like most werewolves, especially of his mate. The way Jed was looking at Art was definitely inappropriate. And Art’s lips were sinful.

Sensing that he was being stared at, Art tilted his head up and glanced questioningly at Jed. The wolf’s heart stuttered at the beautiful grey of them. Jesus, how had he never noticed how _pretty_ Art was? Art gave a little eyebrow-raise-head-shake, as if saying ‘what?’ Jed shook his head and hurried back to his desk, sitting down quickly. He grabbed a random book and flicked through it, trying to get his mind off Art. His heart was pounding wildly, like never before.

That goddamned full moon.

*~*~*

Art’s head had been full of Jed the whole day. He couldn’t get the soft, almost longing way Jed had been gazing at him out of his head. Every time he thought about it, Art found himself shivering.

So the construction team outside of the last building on Bay Street was a welcome distraction.

A crane with a wrecking ball was waiting for Art outside the building when he came back from college. The guy in charge, dressed in a neon orange vest and a helmet, stormed over to him, glaring, ‘’you in charge here?’’

‘’Not really,’’ Art said wearily.

The guy groaned, ‘’we’ve been waiting for an hour for someone to give us the thumbs up.’’

Art glanced up at the top of the building, where Jamie’s hurt was barely glimpse-able. He felt his heart contract just looking at it. He missed Jamie. He missed his snarky comments and sass and raised eyebrows. He missed his fierce kindness and protectiveness. He wanted him home as soon as possible. He glanced at neon-vest and put his thumb up in the air.

Seeing the hut be knocked down was hard. Art had already cleared out all of Jamie’s stuff and stored it in Gus’ room, but still...Jamie had always been there, the essence of the building. When Art came, Jamie had already been working the coffee shop and living up in the hut. It felt wrong, erasing a part of him like that. But it was necessary. So he stood there in his old, battered green trench-coat, hands tucked under his armpits against the cold, cheeks red, and watched the wrecking ball smash the hut to splinters. And then, feeling heavy, he trailed himself up to the roof and began cleaning up the remains of Jamie’s home.

*~*~*

The full moon was startlingly bright in the night sky.

Raphael was in his bedroom in the small flat he shared with his brother, leaning on the windowsill, staring out at  it. He wondered if Fritz would come. He wanted it. Since he’d given his mate the option, he’d been constantly thinking about it. He’d never been with a guy, it had never really crossed his mind. But then again, neither had girls. He’d been so busy making enough money to support his brother that, past a couple girls he let drag him to bed after a night at the Crypt, he’d never really been with anyone. Even then he didn’t feel anything than passing desire for those girls. But Fritz was different. They’d clicked straight away, despite the whole kidnapping thing. It had never freaked Raphael out that Fritz was literally made for him, though it should have. He’d accepted the fact that Fritz was meant to be with him, as easily as if he was inhaling. He’d never thought about pursuing a relationship with him, at least not consciously. But the thought, the need for it, must have been there because in those days that Fritz spent in Raphael’s flat, the human didn’t want to let him go. And after, asking to be with him properly had been so easy. Raphael hadn’t been embarrassed or hesitant. As if he’d known it would happen eventually.

But apparently Fritz didn’t share the same opinion.

He wasn’t coming.

With a sigh, Raphael pushed himself off the windowsill and peeled off his clothes. In just his boxers, he crawled into bed. He closed his eyes and tried desperately not to think about how much he wanted Fritz in his arms, his small, strong body pressed against his, their lips against one another’s... he must have fallen asleep.

Because the next thing he knew, there were fingers brushing through his hair.

Raphael blinked back sleep, only half wanting to. He was warm and comfortable and the hand in his hair felt nice. He kind of wanted to close his eyes and float away.

But then he realised who the hand must belong to.

He rolled onto his back and his breath caught when he saw Fritz right there, sitting on the bed by Raphael, feet tucked under him, thin dreadlocks spilling over his shoulder, ‘’hey,’’ he said softly in his smoke-raspy voice.

Raphael sat up, covers falling to his lap, ‘’Fritz,’’ he whispered in disbelief. Fritz’s eyes were blue, and clear. He knew what he was doing. That knowledge made a small smile push itself on Raphael’s lips, ‘’hey.’’

Fritz couldn’t stop himself from touching Raphael. His knuckled brushed Raphael’s cheek, and then his hand fell to his chest. He pressed his palm there, feeling the steady heart beat underneath his fingers, ‘’you’re not nervous,’’ he murmured.

Raphael’s hand came up to cover Fritz’s, thumb running along the back of it, ‘’are you?’’

Fritz stared down at the covers, not at Raphael, ‘’should I be?’’

‘’No,’’ Raphael whispered, dropping his hand. He shuffled closer, leaning in, ‘’not with me, Fritz.’’

Finally, Fritz tilted his head up, his eyes more open and trusting than Raphael had ever seen. Raphael leaned in further, eyes fluttering shut. Their noses brushed. He felt Fritz inhale.

And then they were kissing.

Almost immediately Fritz cupped Raphael’s face between his hands, as if afraid he’d pull back. Raphael would have smiled, except he was getting lost in the taste of Fritz’s mouth. His hand went to Fritz’s hip, tracing the shape of it. They pulled back with a soft sound. Raphael opened his eyes just as the blue of Fritz’s was flooded with gold as he let his wolf take over. Raphael grinned, ‘’that’s so dopey.’’

And then he was flipping Fritz onto his back, pinning him under his body. Fritz wasted no time, wiggling out of his t-shirt and jeans. His breath was coming out in small pants, like he couldn’t control himself. Raphael, already in his underwear, slipped between Fritz’s legs. He hovered above him, admiring his mate, ‘’are you sure?’’ he murmured.

In response, Fritz grabbed Raphael’s waist, yanked him down and kissed him, hard. He gave a quick, needy thrust up, brushing their clothed members together. Raphael groaned into Fritz mouth as he felt his erection grow. Fritz thrust upwards again, slower, letting them both feel every second as they brushed against each other’s. Fritz shivered and Raphael decided he’d waited enough. He whipped off Fritz’s underwear and then his own, discarding them over the side of the bed. When he looked at Fritz, the omega’s eyes were heavy lidded but twinkling. He was biting his lip and staring straight at Raphael’s junk. Raphael wasn’t from the blushing type – he took on wanted advances with a wolfish grin and quick hands.

But right then he blushed from head to toe.

‘’Weirdo,’’ he grumbled, feeling shy, ‘’stop staring,’’ he slipped between Fritz’s legs again and Fritz gave a soft sigh at the contact of their growing erections. He gave another small thrust, but he seemed to be losing strength in his limbs, lying, pliable, on the bed. Raphael realised how this kind of submission would be viewed as a weakness, to Fritz and other wolves. He also felt kind of honoured that Fritz would show such vulnerability to him. He took hold of Fritz’s face and kissed him softly.

Fritz nuzzled his nose against Raphael’s, ‘’Raphael...’’ he murmured, voice even more hoarse and low than usual.

Raphael slid his hands over Fritz’s thighs, kissing him again, and then to his entrance. He’d never done it with a guy but he’d read up on what he needed to do. He was surprised to find Fritz already wet there, though he was not displeased, ‘’tell me if it’s too much,’’  he said, though he had a feeling nothing he did would be too much for Fritz in his current state. He slipped his finger in and Fritz shuddered.

Raphael quickly found out that, for all his submission and softness, Fritz wasn’t loud. He breathed hard as Raphael prepared him throughoutly, afraid of hurting Fritz and the delicate thing that was blossoming between them. Fritz had bared his weaknesses, vulnerabilities and worries to Raphael and the human had to handle them well or risk losing Fritz’s trust. Hurting him in bed wouldn’t exactly be the greatest start.

He wanted to take it slow but Fritz urged him on with feverish kisses, quiet whines and pleading eyes. It was completely different to how he usually behaved but Raphael liked seeing that side of him. And he found himself eagerly complying with Fritz’s wants. Before long, Raphael was groaning softly as he sank into Fritz. The boy under him tensed up but relaxed and adjusted much faster than a human would. He stuck close to Raphael, with his nose buried in the crook of his neck and his arms wrapped tightly around his back. Raphael liked it, the sensation of Fritz’s pale skin, the fluttery breath at his shoulder... ‘’Raphael...’’ Fritz begged in a breathy, quiet voice, fingers digging into his back.

‘’Yeah,’’ Raphael said roughly, barely able to control himself through the pleasure. He didn’t know why it felt so much better than when he’d done it in the past – maybe it was because Fritz was a boy or maybe because they were mates. Raphael was almost afraid to move but eventually he did. And his world exploded.

Fritz gasped and clung to him even harder, clamping his lips shut. Raphael started off slow, exploring, pulling out and then sighing with content every time he slid back in. Fritz seemed to enjoy it, holding his breath every time Raphael pulled out. Sometimes on the in-stroke a small whine bloomed in the back of his throat. Raphael had a tight grip on his waist and pretty soon he couldn’t hold back. He began thrusting into Fritz with abandon and Fritz found it harder and harder to keep noises at bay.

The sensation of their first time as mates, even with Raphael being human, proved too much. They both finished quickly, onto Fritz’s stomach as Raphael pulled out at the last moment, and then collapsed onto each other. Their muscles felt like they’ve been turned to jelly, their knees wobbly, fingers trembling, eyes closing by themselves. They fell asleep like that, Raphael splayed over Fritz, Fritz tucked under him, both sticky and satisfied.

But when Raphael woke up in the morning, Fritz was gone.

*~*~*

Jamie was lured out of his – once Diego’s – room by the sound of chains rustling.

‘’What are you doing?’’ he frowned at Diego, who was looping a thick, long length of chain through two metal hoops in the wall of the living-room that Jamie hadn’t spotted before.

‘’It’s the full moon tonight,’’ Diego reminded him and Jamie shuddered. He still remembered the first one, when Diego had snuck into his hut. It was like being trapped in close quarters with a feral animal.

‘’Um...shouldn’t you, like...not be around me?’’ Jamie said uneasily.

Diego sighed, letting go of the chain. He glanced out of the window, where the sun was setting slowly, ‘’technically I could be at Ellie’s.’’

‘’Then maybe it would be better-‘’

‘’There’s another pack in the area,’’ Diego said in a voice that clearly said he’d wanted to keep Jamie from worrying about it. He looked at his mate, ‘’they got Fritz into a whole lot of trouble and now they’ve issued a formal duel to the Winter pack. They’re led by Ellie’s sister. The fight-‘’

Jamie stared, ‘ _’fight?_ ’’

‘’Yeah, disputes are usually settled by a fight,’’ Diego explained, ‘’either way, it’s not for a couple of months but the other pack played dirty to get us into the fight legally in the first place so I just...don’t want them finding ways to provoke us,’’ he gave Jamie a look that said – if anyone tried to hurt Jamie, it would be a massive provocation to Diego.

‘’So...’’ Jamie’s brows drew together, ‘’you’re baby-sitting.’’

Diego picked up the chain again and finished looping it, ‘’I’m keeping you safe.’’

‘’But...’’ Jamie pointed to the chain, ‘’you’re going to be chained up.’’

‘’All you have to do if something happens,’’ Diego came to sit on the armchair he’d brought close to the wall, ‘’is release the chains.’’

Jamie raised a brow, ‘’I’d rather arm myself,’’ he glanced to the kitchen, ‘’knives. There’s a baseball bat under the stairs; I know – I checked,’’ it wasn’t his beautiful, studded Bertha but it was something.

‘’so...you’ll be the t-rex they release to fight against the Indominus Rex,’’ Diego smiled, ‘’and I’ll be the mosasaurus that’ll eat the Indominus if things go south,’’ over the last days, Diego and Jamie had bonded over various cult classics, including all the instalments of Jurassic Park. Diego clamped heavy manacles at one wrist and gave Jamie a meaningful glance. Jamie came over with a sigh and closed the second manacle around Diego’s other wrist. Diego tested the bonds. He could barely raise his arms up and practically couldn’t move them in any other direction, ‘’guess you’re safe,’’ he told Jamie, who was out of reach.

Jamie didn’t look certain, ‘’I’m not so sure about that,’’ he turned, ‘’I’ll be in my room. Howl or something if you need water.’’

‘’Oh?’’ Diego grinned at his retreating form, ‘’you’re gonna take care of me?’’

‘’No, I’m gonna hit you in the face with a skillet so you shut up,’’ Jamie said over the shoulder, ‘’oh, and by the way – I don’t need you to be my mosasaurus.  Cause in this house, I’m the Indominus,’’ he gave Diego something that could be interpreted as a smile and disappeared.

Jamie locked himself in his bedroom and dumped himself on the bed. He didn’t want to trust Diego but he found that he did and so he’d been out and about a couple times but never anywhere close to Bay Street, no matter how much he wanted to. Diego had left him some pocket money, which made Jamie feel stupid and young, but was also useful. Jamie had saved most of it for when he left but he did splurge on a couple comics that he’d never had the money for before. Now he lay down on the lush bed and flicked through his favourite. He tried to read for an hour but he found that he couldn’t. He felt uneasy, not because of the impact the full moon would have on Diego but just because...of the knowledge that he was chained up. It felt wrong when he wasn’t trying to attack anyone.

Jamie sighed and got off the bed, going to the window. He leaned on the windowsill and looked out. It had gotten dark rapidly and the moon was glowing brightly in the sky, a full circle, ‘’so small,’’ Jamie mused to himself, ‘’for something causing so much shit.’’

Jamie stared at the moon for a bit. He paced the room. Eventually he went to the doors and pressed his ear to it, listening out. He heard nothing coming from Diego – no roars or growls, just soft chain rustles. Jamie sighed and dumped himself on the bed.

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he was jerking awake. The night was even deeper now. He checked the clock on the nightstand. One am. Jamie shot off the bed and to the doors again. No sounds from the living-room. Jamie found his heart clenching with worry. What if something had happened to Diego? Why was he so damn quiet? Jamie took a deep breath, opened the doors and walked slowly down the length of the short corridor.

He emerged into the dark living room. Diego was in the armchair, leaning back. His eyes shone gold and those mesmerising orbs slid to Jamie as he entered. Diego sat up straighter and Jamie flinched, but the werewolf made no violent or sudden movements towards Jamie, ‘’t-thirsty?’’ Jamie managed, walking slowly towards the kitchen. He got a glass, filled it with water and stuck a plastic straw into it. Diego was a kid in many places. He liked to drink through straws (Jamie always gave him shit for killing the turtles) and he got excited over the space ships in Star Wars. Jamie approached Diego cautiously, reminding himself that the chains were there for a reason, ‘’here,’’ Jamie stopped just out of reach of Diego, extending the straw towards his lips. As much as he didn’t like the guy originally, his biggest pet peeves about him – mainly the stalking – had been cleared up and it was hard not to warm up to someone who so diligently binge-watched movies with you after work. Plus, as much as Jamie hated being taken care of, Diego was good at it. Jamie had loads of food and access to the TV and he could finally rest. Jamie had forgotten what it felt like to sleep more than a couple of hours a night. Now he felt better than ever, relaxed so much that pains he didn’t even realise he had – at the back of his neck, in his shoulders, the tension in his spine and the pounding behind his ears – had gone away.

He was grateful to Diego. And he found he didn’t mind his company. He missed his friends but...well, Diego wasn’t all that bad. But that was all Jamie could admit to himself.

‘’Drink,’’ he prompted, nudging the straw against Diego’s lips, keeping an eye on his chained hands. Diego parted his lips and drank greedily, sucking in as much liquid as he could through the straws. Jamie’s eyes flicked to his mouth. He had nice lips – full, inviting. Jamie shook his head, feeling his face heat up, and looked away. What kind of observation was that!? He wished Diego would just drink faster.

When the glass was empty, Jamie hurriedly put it back in the kitchen and then crossed the living room to go to his room, ‘’I’ll check up on you in a couple hours.’’

And then it came – the dreaded rattle of the chains and a strained, ‘’Jamie!’’

Jamie froze and, very slowly, turned. But Diego didn’t look like he’d yank the chains out of the wall just to grab Jamie and toss him onto the bed. He looked...lost. And upset. His eyes, glowing gold, were pleading and he tugged on his restraints half-heartedly, ‘’I-I’m not staying,’’ Jamie spluttered, taking a step back. Why the hell was his heart beating so fast?

‘’Jamie...’’ Diego whispered, gently tugging on the bonds again. Before, in the hut, it had felt like the moment Diego got free he’d pounce on his mate and fuck him senseless and that terrified Jamie. Now it looked like, if Diego got free, he’d cross the room and gather Jamie in his arms, maybe drop a kiss on his head. And that...that didn’t feel quite so bad.

Jamie wrung out his hands nervously as he approached uncertainly. Diego’s eyes lit up and he stopped struggling, face open and vulnerable and breath-takingly handsome. Jamie tried not to look at Diego most days because Jamie’s attraction to the much older werewolf was problematic. But now it was impossible to look. Jamie stopped once again out of Diego’s reach, ‘’do you want to watch a movie?’’ he murmured. Diego didn’t answer. He just kept looking at Jamie so the blond got up and walked towards the TV.

Immediately the shackles rattled and a low, keening growl-like noise escaped Diego’s lips.

Jamie turned and pointed behind him, ‘’I’m just turning on the-‘’

‘’Jamie...’’ Diego’s voice was a desperate whisper. He strained against his shackles.

‘’I’m not going anywhere-‘’

‘’Jamie...’’ it was like Diego couldn’t hear him. He could only follow his senses and those told him that his mate was leaving him, ‘’Jamie...’’

‘’Jesus,’’ Jamie snapped, irritated, marching up to Diego. He slapped his hands on the armchair’s arms and glared directly at Diego, ‘’I’m right here you big fucking-‘’

It happened in a split second.

Diego yanked on the chains and one of the silver hoops came right out of the wall. Jamie could only follow its movement as it swung across the room, wide-eyed, before suddenly he was being yanked forward. He landed in Diego’s lap and the man’s free arm went round his waist, keeping him in place. Jamie froze and held his breath, waiting for what Diego would do. For a while, Diego did nothing. He just admired Jamie with half-closed golden eyes. Jamie eventually let out a shaky breath, ‘’D-Diego?’’

Picking up on the fear in Jamie’s voice, Diego very gently reached out and tucked a piece of blond hair behind his ear. The movement was slow, soothing and after, Diego didn’t do anything. He just dropped his hand. Slowly, uncertainly, Jamie tried to shuffle off Diego’s lap. Immediately the werewolf’s hand shot out and he grasped his hip, keeping him in place, ‘’no...’’ he whined.

‘’I’m just going to sit somewhere else,’’ Jamie’s voice was tight. He wasn’t afraid, not exactly. Diego was still chained by one hand and he didn’t look like he’d hurt Jamie, at least not in the present moment. But he was worried and Diego’s lap wasn’t a good place for him to be, especially not when Diego returned to normal and found him there, ‘’okay?’’ when Diego didn’t reply, Jamie tried to slide off again. And again, he was stopped. Even so, Jamie tried to wiggle back, still. A small, unhappy noise escaped Diego’s lips. Jamie went with his gut. He reached out and cupped Diego’s face in his hands. His jaw was rough with stubble. Diego went slack, arms falling down onto the arm-rests. He stared up at Jamie in wonder. Jamie wondered what it was like, having your senses take over. It must drive Diego crazy, going from a highly competent, intelligent man to essentially a pet craving touch.

Jamie wiggled off his lap, keeping his hands on Diego’s face. Only once he stood did he try to withdraw his hands. Again, that unhappy noise came and Diego cupped one of Jamie’s hands against his face desperately, ‘’shhh,’’ Jamie said, as gently as he could, ‘’I’m just getting a chair,’’ he pulled his hands away from Diego’s face. The office watched him, looking confused, but at least he was sitting still.

Jamie got himself a chair from the table, swiped the remote from the couch and returned to Diego. He put the chair next to the armchair, out of Diego’s direct reach. Diego reached out with his free hand but his fingers barely brushed Jamie’s arm, ‘’no, Diego,’’ Jamie said, trying to keep patient. He’d never had anyone want him this much, this intensely, ‘’we’re not going to touch.’’

Diego looked deeply unhappy about that. Jamie turned on the TV and browsed through Netflix. Throughout, he felt Diego’s gaze drilling holes into the side of his head. Eventually Jamie groaned, frustrated but beaten, and extended his pinkie finger out. A moment later he felt Diego’s finger sneak around his own and then their hands rested on the armrest.

Jamie kept looking for a movie, working off his blush.

It felt good.

*~*~*

‘’Jesus Chr- BUSTER!’’

Val lunged for her best friend and hit the floor, hard, in the spot where he had been moment before. Gasping and feeling her ribs ache, Val looked up at Buster, who was going wild. His clothes were in torn scraps on the bed and Buster – or, rather, a bronze-furred wolf – was going crazy in their room. Buster was jumping over the beds, on the night stand and even onto the walls, yapping and growling. He’d torn up the old wall-paper and the patchwork curtains, broken a couple things and Val had to think of something very fast before Buster did something worse. The full moon had her worried so she’d come back from the fights earlier, just to find Buster shaking and crying in the corner. As soon as he saw her, he’d whispered, ‘I can’t anymore,’ and then he’d turned into a wolf.

Val knew there was one person who could fix this but she had no way of contacting Ellie. No phone, and she couldn’t risk leaving Buster alone for long enough to get to her. It didn’t look like Val would have any luck catching or calming Buster down, either. She gritted her teeth together, ‘’desperate times call for desperate measures,’’ she snatched her jacket from her bed and fished around for the Swiss army knife she’d nicked off a scout a couple months back. She carried it with her to and from the fights, where the area was poorly lit an dodgy. Now she whipped out a small blade, pressed it to her forearm and drew a shallow line up. She hissed as blood welled up and burning pain spread up her arm.

She took the blade away and, realising that all was suddenly quiet, froze. She looked up, very slowly.

Buster was standing by the window, next to the shredded curtains. Saliva bubbled at his lips. He stared at her bleeding arm with hungry, golden eyes, ‘’oh, shit,’’ Val said just as Buster pounced.

The moment he reached her he turned back to human form and 50-odd kilograms of skinny, freckled, naked white boy hit Val. Her breath was knocked right out of her as she toppled to the ground, Buster atop her. Her best friend scrambled off as fast as he could, pressed his back to her bed and pulled his knees up to his chin. He looked like hell – eyes rimmed with red, face pale, skin clammy and goose-bumped, body trembling... ‘’Val, go,’’ he said desperately in a hoarse voice, scrambling further back, ‘’please, your arm...’’

‘’Mickey,’’ Val said, gently and slowly, ‘’its okay. You need to calm down.’’

‘’I can’t,’’ Buster shook his head hysterically. He looked panicked and terrified to death, ‘’I can’t, I can’t, it’s trying to get out-‘’

In the next instance fur sprouted from his skin and the wolf was back, ‘’fuck,’’ Val jumped to her feet, wielding the knife. She didn’t want to hurt her best friend but she didn’t want to die, either-

The doors burst open and Val exhaled in relief, dropping her knife, as Ellie ran in. She whipped her head round. One growl in Buster’s direction had the wolf whimpering and curling in on himself. Then Ellie was in front of Val, eyes glowing gold. She grabbed her arm, inspecting the injury with burning eyes, brows furrowed, mouth tights, ‘’its fine,’’ Val whispered, now shaking herself, ‘’I just needed you to come...’’

Ellie blinked, once, twice, and the gold of her eyes faded to her usual blue, ‘’Val,’’ she breathed, ‘’you’re hurt.’’

Val pulled her arm out of Ellie’s grip, ‘’Buster needs your help more.’’

Ellie turned, looking at the wolf cowering in the corner. She took one step towards him and Buster whimpered, hiding his head under his paws. Ellie sighed, ‘’I’m not his alpha,’’ she said, ‘’he’s a new wolf. He doesn’t understand a lot of things, like hierarchy. He won’t listen to me, not yet.’’

Val felt desperation grip her, ‘’then make him listen! There must be something, some instinct-‘’

‘’There is one,’’ Ellie turned back to Val, ‘’the mating instinct. He needs his mate.’’

Val’s chocolate brown skin went ashy as she paled, ‘’no,’’ she said, blood dripping down her arm, ‘’not him.’’

‘’It’s the only way we’ll get Buster to calm down,’’ Ellie said, whipping out her phone. Val gritted her teeth as she listened to Ellie tell Gideon to get over to the last building on Bay Street. Once she disconnected, Ellie led Val over to her bed and sat her down. Val told her about the first aid kit under the bed and Ellie didn’t say anything about its feeble contents. She pulled out a short length of bandage and some antiseptic and cleaned Val’s wound.

Val heard Buster whimper but she couldn’t look at him. She hated seeing her friends hurt or upset so instead she looked at Ellie. It was clear that the feeling Ellie got when her mate got hurt made her run straight from her apartment without changing. She was in a white t-shirt and sleeping shorts, with trainers hastily shoved onto her feet. Her red hair was tied back in a long braid and her tan face was clear of make-up. She was pretty in a startlingly delicate way. She looked more like a princess than a badass alpha that was in charge of a bunch of guys, ‘’thanks for coming so quickly,’’ Val whispered as Ellie finished bandaging her arm.

Ellie looked at her mate, ‘’are you okay?’’

Val nodded, ‘’are _you_? With the full moon and all?’’ Ellie nodded and Val got up. She fetched her only hoodie and extended it to Ellie, ‘’you must be cold.’’

As Ellie got dressed in the slightly too short jumper, the doors to the room opened.

Gideon stood within, a coat thrown over red satin pyjamas. Val glared at him. Ellie rose up and put her hands on her shoulders, ‘’let Gideon take care of Buster,’’ she said gently, ‘’you can stay at mine tonight,’’ she led the fuming Val out and closed the doors behind them.

*~*~*

Gideon approached Mickey slowly. The boy, in wolf form, had been cowering in the corner. Now his ears pricked and he raised his head, golden eyes wide and terrified, but also hopeful. His nose twitched as he inhaled the scent of his mate. Gideon felt the subtle mating tug, the pin-pricks of the desire that usually overtook him on a full moon, to run and to be with his mate. But they were all overpowered by the desperate need to protect and take care of Mickey. Gideon could sense his pain, confusion and fear. They hung in the air like a stench. He took another step towards his mate and Mickey shifted. One second he was a bronze-furred wolf; the next a trembling, cowering boy, naked and afraid, ‘’s-stay back,’’ Mickey whispered, wrapping his arms around his head, ‘’go away...’’

‘’Mickey...’’ Gideon knelt down by his mate, feeling his heart clench with guilt. He’d done this. Not only did he shame and humiliate Mickey for doing anything he could to help his aunt, he also changed him into something Mickey didn’t understand and left him to deal with it alone, ‘’I’m sorry,’’ he whispered.

Mickey clenched his teeth, ‘’fuck. Off.’’ He ground out.

Gideon reached out, unable to stop himself. His fingers brushed the freckled skin of Mickey’s arm.

And Mickey shifted.

The bronze wolf was back and Gideon’s hand sank into warm fur, ‘’Mickey,’’ he whispered again and the wolf pounced.

Gideon found himself pinned to the floor, arms splayed at his sides, gazing up into the burning golden orbs of his mate. Mickey had his two front paws on Gideon’s chest, pinning him down. He sniffed the air and then, with a small whimper, lowered his head and nudged his nose into the crook of Gideon’s neck, seeking affection and comfort. Gideon reached up with one hand, stroking the wolf’s temple and behind his ear. With his other hand, he quickly undid the buttons of his satin PJ top. He wiggled out of his clothes, which was quite a feat with Mickey on top of him. He knew Mickey wanted him to go but he also knew that if he did, Mickey would go back into a shifting frenzy, unable to control his instinct during a full moon. When they woke up in the morning, Mickey might not be happy. He might get angry or start crying. But all Gideon could think about right then was making sure he was okay in the present moment.

He shifted. Snow-white fur sprouted from his body and a moment later it was Mickey who was pinned down as Gideon pounced on him. They rolled around the floor for a few minutes, before settling under the window. Gideon curled his now-furry body around Mickey, who rolled up into a ball. Mickey rested his head on his two front paws and Gideon put his below his neck.

They closed their eyes and slept.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the next chapter here!   
> https://www.facebook.com/aj.wilde.355


	19. Friendship: Officially Over

Buster woke up the morning after the full moon, feeling better than he had in weeks. Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to wallow in the feeling because, before he even opened his eyes, he felt the foreign touch on his face. He knew straight away that it wasn’t Val because his charming roommate woke him up either with a pillow to his face or a swift kick to his side. In fact, no one touched Buster like that. Soft finger trailed from his temple to his hair, brushing down his cheek, tracing the outline of his jaw before, finally, brushing against his bottom lip. Buster’s heart skipped and his breath caught. The hand froze and Buster opened his eyes.

Gideon Reis lay beside him on the floor, propped up on his elbow, head resting in his hand, his other hand now frozen against Buster’s cheek.

For a long second, Buster just stared up at his mate in disbelief. He didn’t remember anything from his frenzy the previous night; he’d blacked out as soon as the full moon rose in the sky. He had no idea what Gideon was doing there but, God, was he beautiful. Everything from his soft-looking, bleached hair, to his much darker eyebrows, now furrowed slightly, to the perfect arch of his lips, ‘’Mickey...’’ Gideon breathed.

Buster finally managed to make himself move. He shot away from Gideon, scrambling backwards. His back hit Val’s bed and, oh fuck, he realised he was naked... he grabbed Val’s frayed blanket and wrapped it around his naked body protectively, ‘’what are you doing here?’’ he demanded. He desperately tried to figure out if he’d had sex with his mate the previous night, but there was no aching in the downstairs department, no visible hickeys, and Gideon was dressed...oh, Lord, had he been staring at Buster, naked and sleeping, all night!?

Gideon got up off the floor. Buster didn’t like feeling as vulnerable as he did, cowering in his blanket as Gideon towered over him, ‘’Ellie called.’’

‘’Why did Ellie call?’’ Buster snapped, defensive. He’d gotten black out drunk, once. He woke up under Art’s dancing table in the Crypt with no recollection of what had happened. His clothes were crumpled and his belt undone. That terror of the unknown, of what could have happened that Buster didn’t remember, left a bitter taste in his mouth every time he remembered it. In the end it turned out he’d started drunk-shit-talking some dude by the bar and the guy ambushed him in the toilet while Buster was taking a piss. Raphael had separated them and Buster promptly crawled under the table and passed out. The affair was remembered with a good deal of laughter by Buster’s gang, but from then on Buster controlled the amount he drunk during the parties. He never wanted to be in that state of utter, helpless panic again.

And yet here it was again.

‘’Because Val couldn’t control you,’’ had Buster not been freaking out, he would have noticed the soft way Gideon spoke to him. He’d only ever heard him mock sharply or speak with uncontained anger or disdain.

Buster gripped the blanket, realising the echoing absence of his best friend only now, ‘’did I hurt her? Where is she?’’

‘’With Ellie,’’ Gideon came over, slowly, and crouched down a foot away from Buster.

Buster wanted to kick Gideon out of the window. But he needed answers, ‘’what did I do?’’ he asked in a desperate whisper.

‘’Nothing abnormal to a freshly changed werewolf during his first full moon,’’ Gideon assured quickly, ‘’you just...wouldn’t calm down. Made a bit of a mess,’’ Buster glanced around the room, noticing the ripped curtains and the mess on his bed, ‘’I had to help you.’’

Buster zeroed in on Gideon, mostly because the mess in his room made his head spin, ‘’ _help_ me?’’ he hissed, ‘’do you even know the meaning of that word?’’ he doubted selfish, arrogant Gideon, with his nose up his ass, was capable of more than reluctant, limited aid – if he got paid.

Gideon didn’t argue or act defensive, though. His green eyes dulled and he looked almost sad, ‘’I know you’re angry with me-‘’

‘’Gee, you think?’’ Buster snapped.

‘’But I want to make it right.’’

Buster snorted and shook his head in disbelief, ‘’get out of my room.’’

‘’Look, I get it now,’’ Gideon said, kneeling properly in front of Buster so they were almost eye-to-eye, ‘’the stuff you did...it was for your aunt.’’

Buster had no idea how Gideon knew about Carolyn and he didn’t care, ‘’so, what?’’ his voice trembled, ‘’if I had been doing what I do just for myself, to survive, you’d find me disgusting? If I occasionally sucked dick to get by, would you still treat me like trash?’’

‘’No!’’ Gideon said desperately, ‘’I...didn’t mean any of that. I wasn’t raised to accept things like that and it took me time to come to terms with it.’’

‘’It’s not something for _you_ to come to terms with,’’ Buster shook his head. He hated that his eyes were filling with tears, ‘’that was something _I_ had to come to terms with, the first couple of times I ended up on my knees in an alleyway. It was a measure I chose to go to for my family so forgive me, your majesty, if I don’t care what you think about it.’’

Again, Gideon didn’t get defensive or angry, like Buster expected. His shoulders slumped and the look in his eyes...well, it was probably a reflection of the same thing Buster felt, the thing that made his eyes prick with tears and his heart clench painfully, ‘’I’m sorry, Mickey,’’ Gideon whispered. He reached out, hesitated, then cupped Buster’s cheek gently, ‘’I...if there’s any way I can fix this-‘’

‘’It’s pointless,’’ Buster whispered. The feeling of being stronger, healthier, more energized than ever before was gone. He felt tired again, ‘’this mate thing is bullshit. Every time I’m with you, I end up upset.’’

Gideon recoiled his hand back, as if Buster’s skin burned. He looked lost and Buster remembered how young he was – only twenty and already messing up pretty badly, ‘’I-I can do better,’’ Gideon said but his voice was shaky as he noticed the tears in Buster’s eyes. He remembered every encounter he’d had with Buster. He’d never evoked a positive emotion in him. At the coffee shop when Buster had sat a couple of stools down and Gideon had a fight with the barista, Jamie – Buster had been terrified of what Gideon would do if he found out Buster had been the thief that held his wallet; when Buster came into the flower shop asking for coffee orders – he’d been awkward and uncomfortable, but he’d tried to speak to Gideon, and the werewolf had shut him down...and then the last time they’d seen each other, when Gideon bit Buster, put him in this state, and then said all those awful things...

‘’Do you know what I want to do right now?’’ Buster asked quietly.

‘’What?’’ Gideon asked, almost eagerly, feeling his heart flutter with hope.

‘’I want to rip a wooden board from this bed,’’ Buster said, voice empty, eyes tired as he leaned against Val’s bed, ‘’and rake it down your face, jagged-end first.’’

Gideon closed his eyes briefly, feeling his heart sink, ‘’noted,’’ he opened his eyes, looked at Buster one more time – at this trembling kid wrapped in a blanket, foreign in his own skin and terrified of the one person that was supposed to protect him. He was right. It didn’t make sense. At least not in that moment. Gideon reached out once more and Buster flinched. Even so, Gideon cupped his cheek again, a last touch. A goodbye, ‘’take care of yourself, Mickey,’’ Gideon stood quickly, left the room and then flew out of the last building on Bay Street.

*~*~*

Val found herself nestled on one of Ellie’s cream couches that evening, cradling a cup of coffee in her brown hands. She’d added a hearty shot of whiskey inside from Ellie’s cabinet when the Russian Alpha hadn’t been looking. Now she stared at the dark liquid, munching over the thought of the fight Ellie had told her about. Hearing about werewolves separated from humans in their district felt like a world away – their politics something they went through in class, as distant as World War 2, their customs and cuisines foreign, their fights and feuds something exciting on the news, but something that felt fabricated, like superhero stories. And even when the wolves had come to their city, Val hadn’t grasped the full danger of it – the danger their instincts and possessiveness pushed them to.

Ellie sat on one of the armchairs, legs thrown over one arm, a cup of tea in her hand. Her suit was dishevelled – the jacket she’d tossed on the couch, the top two buttons had been popped open. Her red hair fell down her back like a fiery waterfall. Val had to admit that she looked like a goddess, or at least fully like the alpha of a pack of mostly hormonal males. Ellie glanced over at Val, sensing her stare. Val didn’t avert her gaze, ‘’are people going to get hurt?’’ she asked. After a good night’s sleep and a full day at Ellie’s condo, she was more clear-headed than ever. But the whole werewolf feud with Ellie’s sister made her head spin,

Ellie sighed, ‘’probably,’’ she’d spent the whole day at work and fatigue made her accent stronger, ‘’I’m hoping to walk away without any permanent losses to the pack, though.’’

Val chewed her full lip, ‘’and if Tatiana wins?’’

‘’She won’t.’’

‘’But if she does?’’

Ellie took a long drink of her tea, ‘’then I will have to leave this territory. It will be hers. And the Winter pack...well, they can stay but she would be their alpha. Or they could leave behind everything they’ve built here and relocate with me.’’

Val fought back a shiver, ‘’and if you win?’’

‘’If I win,’’ Ellie said slowly, ‘’then same thing applies. I’ll get the territory and her pack, though I don’t want it. I’ll let them go as long as they clear out of my area. And...’’ she took a deep breath, ‘’I will have to kill my sister.’’

Val sat up straighter, ‘’what!?’’

‘’It’s a fight to the death,’’ Ellie said and there was a bitter edge to her voice, ‘’Tatiana wills it so.’’

‘’B-but...she’s your sister!’’ Val spluttered, fingers tight around her cup, ‘’she can’t hate you that much?’’

Ellie shrugged. She was staring at the wall, ‘’she’s grown up in my shadow. I can’t blame her entirely for wanting what’s mine now,’’ and to Val’s surprise, Ellie put her cup down and curled in one herself on the armchair, ‘’I can’t do it,’’ she whispered, ‘’she’s a spoiled brat but she’d my little sister. I love her. I can’t kill her.’’

‘’But if you don’t then you’ll die!’’ Val jumped from the couch and stood in the middle of the living-room, ‘’that’s how it works, right!?’’ her mate didn’t reply, ‘’Ellie!’’

‘’Please, just...’’ Ellie’s voice was quiet and glass-fragile, ‘’go. I need to be alone.’’

Val wanted to argue but she didn’t know how to help. Ellie – powerful Ellie, a woman single-handedly dealing with a whole pack, an intelligent CEO – was curled up in a ball like a kid, clearly afraid and confused and Val didn’t know what to say. So she backed out of the living-room, grabber her battered leather jacket from the peg and left the apartment.

She ran all the way to the fights.

*~*~*

Raphael walked down from A Touch of Ink to the coffee shop. He’d been set on going home but he spotted Gus at the counter. The shop was closed and the Crypt didn’t have an event tonight. With Jamie gone, Gus had taken over his shifts so he wouldn’t get fired. Now he’d locked up the shop. He was sitting on a stool by the counter, a mop between his legs, but Gus didn’t look like he’d be cleaning anytime soon. He was staring into space until Raphael sat down on the stool next to him, ‘’you alright?’’ he asked quietly.

‘’Yeah,’’ Gus’ voice was tiny and soft, ‘’you?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Raphael leaned his elbow on the counter and pressed his temple to the base of his palm.

For a long while, the two of them sat in silence, gratefully drinking in each other’s presence. Then, finally, Gus gave a tiny little sniff and whispered, ‘’I miss Jamie.’’

Raphael closed his eyes, ‘’yeah. Me, too,’’ it was impossible not to miss their golden-haired, vicious protector, their favourite barista-bartender, one of the fiercest, most determined people either of them have met.

‘’I...miss Alex, too,’’ Gus whispered tearfully and Raphael looked at him in the darkness of the closed coffee shop, ‘’I know I told him that we should break things off before they even started...but...b-but...’’ his lip wobbled.

Raphael gave him a small, sad smile, ‘’well, if it’s any consolation, Fritz and I had sex yesterday,’’ Gus’ eyes widened. They were glassy from unshed tears, ‘’he left before I woke up and now he’s avoiding me. Again.’’

Gus gave a little broken laugh, ‘’we’re just unlucky in love, huh?’’ he wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, ‘’I’m scared our building is going to be knocked down.’’

‘’I’m worried about Buster,’’ Raphael countered, ‘’he hasn’t left his room in ages.’’

‘’Christmas is coming up,’’ Gus whispered, ‘’I’m going to have to see my family.’’

‘’I don’t think I’ll have enough money to buy Carmelo a proper present.’’

‘’I’m scared I won’t pass my winter exams.’’

‘’I  have a big tattoo project coming up next week and just thinking about it makes me want to toss myself out of the window.’’

‘’I can’t figure out a good play-list for the Christmas party at the Crypt.’’

Raphael gave Gus a small smile, ‘’I feel better. Do you?’’

Gus responded with a little smile, ‘’yeah,’’ he got off his stool. The mop fell to the floor as Gus wrapped his arms around Raphael’s middle, hiding his face in his chest. Raphael put an arm around him and stroked his hair with his free hand. At times like these, Raphael felt like he had two little brothers.

But he didn’t mind it one bit.

*~*~*

Val won three fights in a row and was preparing for her fourth. The abandoned underground train station was bustling with more people than usual and more than a few newcomers were jumpy about cops popping up. Cash was passed from hand to hand as bets were lost and won. Val did an inventory of her injuries. Her shoulder felt like it had been popped out; the aching in her jaw spoke of an upcoming bruise; she’d stepped wrong on the train tracks and twisted her ankle but it didn’t let itself be known past a dull throbbing. Val ran her hand through her short curly hair and watched the current fight in the pits. Before, her fights had been one after the other and it had been good to vent. Now her next fight was a little while away and, sitting on her crate, Val had a lot of time to think.

As much as she hadn’t wanted her at the beginning, Ellie had snuck into her life. Now, unconsciously, Val had started to think of her as her own superhero. She always showed up when Val needed help, whether she asked for it or not. And she never wanted anything in return. Meanwhile, Val had ditched Ellie at the condo a couple hours back. So what if Ellie asked her to? Val should have put her foot down and figured it out with her. She’d known this the moment she left the condo but she couldn’t make herself go back. Because what did it mean if Val wanted to stick with Ellie, through thick and thin? It sounded too much like a wedding vow. Val wasn’t even into girls. She wasn’t into anyone. She was into fights and making money and keeping her family at the last building on Bay Street safe.

But it felt like Ellie had been in Val’s life since forever, and Val didn’t mind it.

‘’What am I doing?’’ she groaned at herself as she got up off her crate. She crossed the station and stood on the edge of the train tracks converted into a fighting pit. People were on either side, watching the fight unfold.

Without a second thought, Val jumped into the pit.

The crowd went wild. Bidders screamed at her to get out, anxious to see how the fight ended. Those watching for pure fun were crazy with excitement, shouting encouragement or just roaring for no apparent reason. The two fighters in the pit – a burly black guy and a nimble teenager sprouting a black eye already – turned to her, surprised, ‘’come and get it,’’ Val said with a nasty grin. She needed to get Ellie’s attention. The easiest way was to get hurt – which didn’t mean that Val wouldn’t fight with all she had anyway.

In the end it was she who knocked out the pile of muscle that was one of her opponents. Surprisingly, it was the teenager that knocked her out. He smashed a rock to the side of her head and she blacked out. Nobody got the money – the black guy was clearly out, the teen was disqualified and Val wasn’t supposed to be in the fight in the first place. When she regained consciousness she was being dragged to the bar by two of the security guards. She shook them off, managing to regain her footing, and completed the journey herself. She got a glass of water, downed it, and then chased it with a shot.

Outside it was freezing but the air felt good after the stuffy, loud inside of the fights. Val went to the alley where Ellie had dragged her the first time they met and leaned against the wall.

Five minutes later, Ellie was there.

She stopped right in front of Val, breathing hard, hair dishevelled. Val gave her a grin, ‘’there you are.’’

Ellie caught her breath, glaring at Val from under red strands, ‘’I’m getting you a phone,’’ she ran her hands down Val, over her face, shoulders and stomach, ‘’Jesus, you look like hell. Are you seriously injured anywhere?’’

‘’No,’’ Val caught Ellie’s hands to stop their movements, ‘’listen, I’ve thought about the fight.’’

‘’It’s okay, you won’t have to-‘’

‘’I’m with you,’’ Val said gravelly, ‘’whether you decide to fight your sister to the death or just till you knock her out. Or whether you decide to negotiate with her. Or even if you decide to back out of the fight, gather your pack and leave. But I won’t let you die without putting up a fight. Actually, I won’t let you die at all,’’ she squeezed Ellie’s wrists, ‘’you’ve been looking out for me. Now I’m gonna look out for you, too.’’

Ellie stared at her mate. She wanted to tell Val that it was too dangerous, that she’d get hurt, but that was bullshit. Val was a fighter – even as a human, she was strong and valuable. And, honestly, Ellie was flooded with relief at having someone to depend on. At being able to turn to someone when she needed to.

‘’Thank you,’’ Ellie whispered. She leaned over and kissed Val’s bruised cheek gently. Val gave her a grin.

*~*~*

It was late evening when Diego came home to find Jamie on the couch, wringing his hands out nervously. He raised his eyes at Diego and for once he wasn’t making sarcastic remarks or rolling his eyes or greeting him off-handedly. He looked worried, cheeks pale, lips nibbled till they were bleeding, brows drawn, ‘’Diego...’’ Jamie said softly.

Diego dropped the bag of groceries by the door and bee-lined for Jamie. He sat on the couch by him, heart beating hard from worry, ‘’what is it?’’ he asked urgently, forcing himself to keep his hands to himself, ‘’did something happen?’’

‘’I went for a walk,’’ Jamie said quietly. He sounded...confused, ‘’I didn’t go home b-but...I saw...’’ he looked desperately at Diego, ‘’I saw from a distance. There were construction vehicles and my hut was gone and...’’ he hesitated, ‘’are they knocking down the building?’’

‘’No,’’ Diego assured him quickly, ‘’no, they aren’t.’’

To Diego’s surprise, Jamie grabbed his hand and squeezed it frantically, ‘’please, just tell me what’s going on. I can’t take this, I...I hate being in the dark.’’

Seeing Jamie so distraught made Diego snap. He’d fulfilled his promise to Art – he’d kept Jamie away long enough for his hut to be knocked down. There was no use keeping the whole thing away from Jamie. And, honestly, Diego would have told him anything he wanted to know in that moment, if only to make him less afraid, ‘’Art’s been trying to save your building,’’ Diego said quietly, ‘’but for that he needed Jed March to get behind him in the council. And for that to happen, all illegal activities had to be gone. Art got a licence for the club so you...won’t be able to work there until you’re eighteen. And...they knocked down your hut. It was a safety hazard. I’m sorry.’’

Jamie sat frozen on the couch. He stared at Diego.

It felt as if the whole world was spinning. Jamie felt sick.

And then everything stopped as Jamie processed the information.

‘’Art,’’ Jamie said icily, ‘’he knew about this.’’

‘’Jamie-‘’ Diego tried but Jamie shot off the couch.

‘’That fucker,’’ he hissed, ‘’he was the one who told you to kidnap me! And my hut...my...oh, _fuck_ no,’’ the building was home. But the hut had been the only place that had been totally and completely Jamie’s since he ran off from social services at twelve years old. It had his things there, all the stuff he’d collected over the years, all his birthday presents from his friends and Little Jamie and his CDs and his blankets...

‘’Jamie!’’ Diego yelled as Jamie stomped over to the coat rack and grabbed his battered jacket, ‘’Jamie, wait!’’

‘’Stay out of this, Diego,’’ Jamie snapped at him and ventured into the freezing night.

He didn’t remember making his way home for the first time in weeks. One second he was outside Diego’s house. In the next, he was in front of the last building on Bay Street. The lights were off in the coffee shop. Jamie looked up at the building and when he really didn’t see his hut, his blood boiled. He ran.

He made it to the car garage out of breath, hair damp from the light drizzle. He went around the car garage to the side doors leading to the basement and banged on them as hard as he could. He saw light flicker at the bottom of the doors and a moment a sleepy looking Art, bundled in all his sweaters, appeared, ‘’the fuck?’’ his eyes widened, ‘’Jamie!’’

And then he was reeling and falling backwards down the short flight of stairs and onto his ass as Jamie punched him right in the face.

Jamie stomped into his basement room, as cobwebbed and cold as usual, ‘’you asshole!’’ Jamie roared, kicking Art in the ribs. Art gasped as the air rushed out of him but managed to struggle to his feet before Jamie could kick him again. His eyes were wide.

‘’What the hell!?’’

Jamie felt tears prick his eyes and he didn’t even care. He hadn’t felt this betrayed since his mom killed herself, ‘’you...you...’’ Jamie struggled for words. He was trembling all over and his hands were clenched in his fists, ‘’how could you!?’’

Realisation flicked in Art’s grey eyes. He clutched his ribs, ‘’Jamie, listen-‘’

‘’I don’t care if it was for my own good!’’ Jamie roared, ‘’we’re best friends! You could have told me! You could have explained! Instead, you get my stalker to kidnap me and you take away the only place...the only fucking place...’’ his voice cracked and his voice faltered.

Art stared, ‘’Jamie...are you crying?’’

Jamie realised there were tears dripping off his chin, ‘’fuck you,’’ he said, voice thick.

Art let go of his ribs and took a step towards Jamie, hand outstretched. He looked shattered but Jamie didn’t care, ‘’Jamie, please-‘’

‘’I don’t want to see you,’’ Jamie backed away from him, heart pounding, vision blurry. He knew he was about to have a panic attack, ‘’I don’t want to see your face ever again, you hear me, Arthur Mobley!?’’ and then he ran up the short stairs, taking two at the time, and burst into the night. He ran and ran until he couldn’t run anymore. His lungs burned and pricked and tears froze on his face. He curled up behind a random car, brought his legs to his chest, put his head down and cried quietly, feeling like a large chunk of him had been ripped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya darlings! 
> 
> Check out a preview of the next chapter here!!  
> https://www.facebook.com/aj.wilde.355
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!   
> Ps. let me know if a lot of you can't access facebook, I can set up an instagram or something similar


	20. Caught Glitter Handed

Val had never worn a proper blazer.

Even in high-school, before she became a sixth-former, she didn’t have enough money to buy that expensive piece of fabric that did nothing to keep out the cold and only made her shoulders look square. She’d nearly driven her teachers to an early grave wearing only a raggedy jumper over her rumpled shirt and faded trousers. But Ellie had told her that her old leather jacket wasn’t something she could wear to work and Val hadn’t argued when the red head deposited a stack of clothes at the last building on Bay Street. Now, mid-December, she was starting her intern. She couldn’t help but feel a little proud, standing in front of the towering building in the centre of the city, dressed in smart jeans and a burgundy blazer over a black shirt. She came from nothing – abusive, alcoholic parents, no roots, no inclination as to what her talents could be apart from brute force. Now, with all the mess between Jamie and Art and Gideon and Buster, she felt like she, at least, was getting her life on track, even if she was freezing her ass off in the blazer.

‘’Hey,’’ Ellie suddenly appeared at Val’s side. The human girl had been so overwhelmed by the huge building that she hadn’t even heard the car pull up, ‘’are you going to just stand here and gape?’’ she slid a Starbucks coffee cup into Val’s hand.

‘’Thanks,’’ Val glanced at her mate.

Ellie gave her a smirk, ‘’don’t get used to it. From now on, you make the coffees, intern,’’ she strolled into the building in her immaculate blue suit.

Val hurried after her, gripping her coffee, ‘’I thought I was meant to do matching?’’

‘’Hold your horses, kid,’’ Ellie chuckled, strolling through reception and pressing a button on the lift, ‘’most people in this company start off from the bottom. When my mother brought me into the company as a part-timer, I was fourteen. For the next two years all I was a glorified house-keeper,’’ she shrugged and smiled properly at Val, ‘’and now I’m on the top.’’

Val stepped into the lift with her, ‘’two years?’’ she looked miserably at her coffee.

‘’Don’t worry. Your talent, if it is really there, would be wasted stirring drinks. I’ll get you an opportunity at the main lab in a couple of weeks,’’ the lift slid upwards smoothly and Val’s stomach dropped. She’d only been in a lift a couple of times and the sensation made her want to hurl, ‘’that will be your chance to pull yourself up.’’

Ellie breezed out of the lift when it pinged and opened, into a beige and blue corridor. People in suits hurried back and forth. It was organised chaos. Before Ellie could disappear in the throng, Val caught her wrist, ‘’hey,’’ she blurted and Ellie gave her a questioning look over her shoulder, ‘’thanks. For this.’’

Ellie turned fully towards her mate, smiling, ‘’don’t thank me yet. I told you, I won’t fight to keep you employed if you’re not pulling your weight,’’ she reached out and adjusted the collar of Val’s burgundy blazer, ‘’thought you do look cute in this colour,’’ and then Ellie sauntered off.

Val sighed, ran a hand through her curls and went to find the coffee making station.

*~*~*

‘’Jesus, where were you all night!?’’

Jamie pushed past Diego and walked into his house, clothes and hair damp from morning dew. He’d awoken by the car he’d crumpled next to when crying in the early hours of the morning, freezing his ass off, and made his way back to Diego’s on foot. Because he realised he had nowhere else to go but back to his mate. Art had taken home away from him, and Diego had given him one, which sent Jamie’s emotions into a crazy turmoil, ‘’can I borrow your laptop?’’ Jamie dumped himself on the couch.

Diego had already closed the doors and was hurrying to make tea, ‘’yeah. It’s on the table.’’

Jamie sighed, ran his hands through his damp blond hair...he felt empty and sad and betrayed but he didn’t have any time to wallow in self pity. He got Diego’s laptop and sat down on the couch, opening it, ‘’what’s your password?’’ he called to Diego, ‘’something cringy, like I-love-Jamie?’’

‘’No, it’s Diego123!’’

Jamie felt a smile tug on his lips. After the confrontation with Art and a cold, lonely night by the car it was nice to be somewhere...familiar. And he didn’t even have the energy to deny that the sound of Diego’s voice warmed him up inside, ‘’is he really a cop?’’ he grumbled, logging in and pulling up the internet. He wasn’t a stranger to the web. He’d used his mom’s rusty computer before she died and since then countless times at the library, to order alcohol imports for the club or find Buster jobs in his spare time.

Now he pulled up a page of rooms for rent.

‘’What are you doing?’’ came Diego’s voice, right behind him. A cup of steaming tea was set on the floor and a second later a warm blanket was draped over Jamie. Diego’s hands lingered on his shoulders as he peered at the screen. His eyes narrowed. Jamie was scrolling through pictures of questionable rooms on something that looked like an illegal site.

‘’I’m looking for a room to rent,’’ Jamie mumbled, ‘’since Art decided to destroy my hut...’’

Diego’s hands tightened on Jamie’s shoulders and Jamie was caught between leaning in or shrugging him off. He decided to just stay still, ‘’you know you can just stay here, right?’’ Diego said.

Jamie clicked a random room. Someone’s tilted-roof attic, looking even worse than Art’s under-the-garage basement. He exited and went back to browsing, ‘’no, I can’t.’’

‘’Jamie-‘’

‘’I can’t pay rent on half a _house_ ,’’ Jamie snapped, finally shrugging Diego’s hands off, ‘’I can’t even afford one room in here.’’

‘’I own it,’’ Diego said tightly.

‘’Good for you.’’

‘’Which means,’’ Diego came around the couch and took the laptop from Jamie’s hands, carrying it back to the table, ‘’I don’t pay rent. And you don’t have to, either.’’

Jamie crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Diego, ‘’I can’t afford the bills either.’’

Diego groaned, closing his eyes briefly, ‘’Jesus, how hard is it for you to let someone take care of you?’’ Jamie stared at his feet. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest and he was sure Diego could hear. Everyone had been so indifferent to him until he ran off. When he met his friends, they’d all started taking care of each other. To have someone want to take care of exclusively you...it was...nice, ‘’look, I just want to know you’re safe,’’ Diego came over and sat on the couch next to Jamie, ‘’and not in a weird way. Not in a mate way,’’ he grasped for the right words, ‘’as...friends.’’

Jamie raised an eyebrow, ‘’you’re way too old to be friends with me.’’

Diego sighed, ‘’fine, acquaintances. Whatever. If you have somewhere to at least go at night, I’ll sleep easy. You can keep my room and everything. If your pride won’t allow you to take this for free, then you can do some housekeeping sometimes or whatever. Just,’’ Diego reached as if to take his hand, thought better of it and dropped his hand, ‘’stay.’’

Jamie played with his fingers, fighting off his blush. The idea of a stable home sounded nice. A home that wasn’t dark and creepy, that didn’t get below freezing in the winter...even if he had to share it with a hormonal werewolf cop. Though, Jamie had to admit, Diego wasn’t so bad. He was a shit cook, he was forgetful and he got way too wound up over small things. But he was kind and protective and strong, he knew when Jamie needed his space and privacy, he didn’t prod or force him into anything and, on the rare occasions they spent time together, he was good company. All things Jamie would look for in a friend had he grown up as a normal kid.

All things he would have looked for in a boyfriend.

He fought the thought off and glanced at Diego. He got off the couch, ‘’I suppose,’’ he said, ‘’that ‘friends’ sounds alright if you think about it,’’ he quickly crossed the living-room, not wanting to see Diego’s reaction, ‘’I’m going to sleep. In _my_ room.’’

Which, in Jamie’s language, meant ‘offer accepted’.

*~*~*

Buster counted out the last pennies from his emergency stash that he kept under his bed. He barely had enough to buy bread, much less buy his aunt’s medicine or pay this month’s rent. Val had paid for him last month and Buster didn’t want to burden her again. But to make money, he actually had to go outside, and that terrified him to death. He was scared of how the others would react to him being a werewolf. He was scared he wouldn’t adjust. Most importantly, he was scared of what Carolyn would say. His aunt was sick; she didn’t need this kind of stress. He’d grown up with his single dad in Germany. After he died, eleven year old Buster had been sent here, to his mother’s family, who had never contacted him. As it turned out, his mom had also cut contacts with her family. Carolyn was the only one left but she had heard of Buster and given her sister shit for abandoning him. She’d been more than happy to welcome him into her family.

But would she still want to welcome a werewolf?

As if by thinking about her, he’d magically summoned her, there was a knock on the door.

Buster froze. Val never knocked and he’d done a pretty good job of keeping his friends away for nearly two months that he’d been a hermit in his bedroom, ‘’w-who is it?’’

‘’Mihael?’’ came Carolyn’s melodic voice, ‘’can I come in?’’

Buster swore under his breath. He wanted to hide under the covers until his aunt went away but in her condition, it wasn’t good for her to stand for longer periods of time, especially after she’d just climbed the stairs. He shoved the last of his pennies into his pockets, ‘’yeah. Sure,’’ he just needed to act normal. Just act normal...

Carolyn slipped into the room.

She looked better, less like a ghost of herself. There was colour in her cheeks and her hair was freshly washed, ‘’you shouldn’t be out in this weather,’’ Buster managed to say before Carolyn lunged for him and tackled him into a hug. Buster’s new heightened sense of smell pricked. Carolyn smelled like a hospital.

‘’I haven’t seen you in weeks,’’ Carolyn ranted, ‘’you can’t do that, Mickey!’’

‘’Sorry,’’ Buster whispered, putting his head on her shoulder and hugging her back. It felt good to be with family again, even if it might be the last time he was hugging her, ‘’there was...stuff going on.’’

‘’I know,’’ Carolyn pulled back and gave Buster a fierce look, ‘’Gideon told me.’’

Buster paled, ‘’Gid...that son of a bitch!’’ he pulled away from Carolyn, pacing around the bed angrily, ‘’I told him to stay out of my life-‘’

‘’I think that’s what he intended,’’ Carolyn said gently, sitting on Val’s bed, ‘’it took me a week to find out from the doctors who had paid for my hospital fee.’’

Buster stopped pacing and whipped round to face her, ‘’hospital fee?’’

Carolyn beamed at him, ‘’I have a room in the private hospital by the canal. You know, the pretty one with all the flower boxes by the windows? My meds are being pre-paid and I have doctor visits every day. I feel better than ever.’’

Buster’s throat closed, ‘’but...that’s so _expensive_ ,’’ Buster had often dreamed about securing a place in that hospital for Carolyn. They had admired it on the rare occasions they’d gone on walks, when Carolyn felt up to it.

‘’Gideon is your mate, right?’’ Carolyn said gently, non-invasively, ‘’I demanded to meet with him when I found out a stranger was paying my fees. He was reluctant, but he cracked. We had coffee. He told me he’s your mate, Mickey,’’ she gave Buster a knowing look, ‘’it’s very kind of him, to do this for me. But,’’ her eyes darkened, ‘’I still had to stop myself from strangling him when he told me he bit you.’’

Ice ran through Buster’s veins, ‘’Caro-‘’

‘’Is that why you haven’t left your room for so long?’’ she asked, concerned. She got up and approached Buster, grasping his forearms gently.

‘’I just...’’ Buster swallowed thickly, blinking back tears, ‘’I’m not myself anymore.’’

‘’Yes, you are,’’ Carolyn said firmly, ‘’your abilities are enhanced, but you’re still my little, hard-working, reckless, freckled Mihael,’’ she smiled and pulled Buster into another hug.

Buster relaxed, exhaled, blinked back tears, ‘’I thought it would be a big deal.’’

‘’Did Val make a big deal out of it?’’

‘’...no.’’

‘’Then it’s not,’’ Carolyn pulled back and smiled at Buster again, ‘’you know she keeps it one-hundred-per-cent real.’’

‘’Keeps it real?’’ Buster snorted, feeling the first smile in weeks pull at his mouth, ‘’since when do you talk like that?’’

Carolyn shrugged, ‘’I have a millennial in the room opposite at the hospital. We talk,’’ she reached out and patted Buster’s freckled cheek, ‘’what Gideon did was awful, but it was not premeditated. You know I’m good at picking up on people’s thoughts and boy, was he easy to read. I’ve never seen a guiltier boy in my life,’’ she cupped Buster’s cheek, ‘’he’s a good person, beyond the arrogant model facade. I think you should give him a chance.’’

Buster looked away, ‘’I don’t want to... _be_ with him.’’

‘’That’s fine,’’ Carolyn said, ‘’but give him a chance to be in your life,’’ she pulled her hand back, ‘’who knows, maybe he’ll fill an empty space you didn’t even know was there.’’

Buster took a deep breath, sighed, ‘’if anything, I have to sort things out with my friends first.’’

‘’You do that,’’ Carolyn agreed, extending her arm, ‘’now, how about you rejoin society and take me home?’’

Buster smiled properly and took her arm.

*~*~*

Art was steering clear of the last building on Bay Street. He couldn’t face Jamie or his friends. His life was turmoil but he still needed to work – and so he went to the border.

There was less of a crowd tonight. The awful December chill was keeping a lot of people at bay, plus it was the middle of the week. Still, Art danced his ass off. It made him forget about the mess he created, and God knows if it was even worth it. The council had been silent about the building – who knew if there would be another notice about the building being knocked down, despite everything. It was still an eye-sore for the newly renovated Bay Street. And Jed...well, Jed had swayed the council to give Art the licence and he’d organised the knocking down of Jamie’s hut. But was he really trying to save the building? Maybe he was just indulging Art.

But Art didn’t have to worry about any of that when he danced.

He was too busy moving his hips just right, ignoring the aching in his bones. He was too busy smiling flirtatiously at the dark mass of the crowd under the neon lights and arching his back in just the right way. Tonight was a glitter party and everything, from the floor to people’s faces to Art’s hair was covered in the twinkling stuff. Art hated glitter and he hated glitter parties. He and Jamie had banned those in the Crypt from the get-go. Art had drank a lot of alcohol to drown out the thought of getting glitter out of everything for the next week.

The night was coming to an end. Most party-goers were drunk and stumbling. The crowd had thinned. Art let his dancing get sloppy, let his fatigue get to him.

And that’s when he saw Jed.

At first he thought his eyes were playing a trick on him, but the dark hair, even when it was down and messy, and those piercing blue eyes were unmistakable. And those blue eyes caught his and widened. Art stopped dancing just as Jed turned and bee-lined for the doors. Art’s heart thundered. What in the holy hell was Jed – proper, educated university professor Jed – doing in a strip club, watching one of his students slag himself off for tips? Before he knew what he was doing, Art had jumped off his glittered dancing podium. He was followed by whistles and unauthorised, drunken gropes as he pushed his way through the crowd in only a pair of glittery blue booty-shorts.

Jed, at least, seemed to have lost the exit. Despite his slow progress across the club, Art managed to catch up with him. He grabbed his wrist, Jed turned...and there was no doubt that it was him, ‘’what are you doing here!?’’ Art yelled over the music.

Jed looked horrified, like...well, like a teacher caught in a strip club by one of his students. Art kissed his teeth and dragged Jed through the club, keeping to the walls. Couples were making out all the way along it but finally Art reached the booths. They were far away from the speakers. It was quieter here. Art shoved Jed into one of the booths so hard the wolf was forced to sit on the red padded seats as Art drew the curtain closed behind him. Art turned and stared at Jed. He looked...different. His hair wasn’t slicked back but loosened, falling in black strands into his eyes. It twinkled with stray glitter. He was out of his suit, wearing a black t-shirt that fit tightly over his surprisingly defined muscles, not to mention the way the jeans clung to his legs... Art felt heat rise to his cheeks. Jed looked exactly like one would picture a rugged werewolf about to eat up its victim.

And it looked like the victim was Art.

‘’You were watching me dance,’’ the human dead-panned.

‘’No,’’ Jed said quickly, ‘’I mean, yes, but it was an accident-‘’

‘’You were here by accident?’’ Art raised an eyebrow.

‘’Well...no,’’ Jed sighed, ‘’I didn’t know you’d be dancing though.’’

Art squinted at Jed, ‘’a teacher alone in a strip club that just happens to be the one his student and mate dances in...something isn’t adding up.’’

‘’There’s nothing to it-Art!’’

Art slid seamlessly into Jed’s lap, straddling him, and gave a slow thrust, rubbing his but against Jed’s clothed member, ‘’I’ll make you talk,’’ he said sweetly.

Jed huffed, ‘’this is incredibly inappropriate-‘’

‘’Incredibly inappropriate,’’ Art chuckled, ‘’you seemed to like it last time though.’’

‘’Art, seriously, stop it.’’

Art braced one hand on Jed’s shoulder and brushed his other through his messy hair, shaking some of the glitter out, ‘’you look good like that,’’ he murmured.

Jed looked appalled, ‘’have you been drinking?’’

‘’A lil’,’’ Art breathed, ‘’can’t do this sober.’’

Jed’s brows furrowed. Then he sighed and relaxed, ‘’that,’’ he motioned to the club outside the curtain, ‘’or this,’’ and he pointed to Art in his lap.

‘’That,’’ Art whispered. He began grinding his ass in Jed’s lap.

Jed groaned, ‘’Arthur, stop it. You’re my student.’’

‘’I’m your a-lot-of-things,’’ Art reminded him, pushing ashy blond hair out of his eyes, ‘’tenant. Mate. Pain in the ass.’’

Jed grabbed Art’s hips, forcing him to stop his movements. His voice was surprisingly gentle as he said, ‘’you’re not a pain in the ass.’’

It felt like he was. To everyone – Jamie and Diego, Jed, with the constant nagging about the building...

He suddenly felt incredibly stupid, mostly naked and grinding on his teacher. He pushed himself off, ‘’sorry,’’ he muttered. His head spun. Apparently he’d drank way more than usual.

‘’Hey,’’ Jed suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down onto his lap. On second thought, he probably should have sat Art next to him but the deed was done. And...as much as Jed didn’t want to admit it, having Art’s weight in his lap felt nice. He kept his hands firmly planted on Art’s hips in case he decided to do any more movements that threatened to drag out Jed’s erection, ‘’what happened?’’

‘’Huh?’’ Art said distractedly. The alcohol was really hitting him. He felt sleepy all of a sudden.

‘’You seem upset.’’

‘’Just tired.’’

‘’Liar,’’ Jed leaned in, ‘’I’ll make you talk,’’ he said, copying Art’s previous words.

Art gave him a little smile at that and oh God, why did Jed feel like he was melting right into the seat? And then Art leaned his forehead on Jed’s shoulder and Jed’s heart was thundering like a race horse in his chest and no, no, _no_...

‘’I messed up,’’ Art whispered.

Jed’s heart slowed. He went from freaking out about his own reaction to his mate to concern about Art, ‘’badly?’’ he asked.

‘’Uh-huh.’’

It didn’t seem like Art wanted to talk about it. He nuzzled his face into Jed’s shoulder and went quiet. Jed felt the need to touch Art, anywhere, to comfort him. He didn’t know how appropriate he could be with Art already straddling him, but he settled for placing his hand at the back of Art’s neck, ‘’anything I can help with?’’

Art shook his head, glitter falling from his hair onto Jed’s shoulder. Finally, Art sat up. His eyes were hazy, unfocused, ‘’just...help me with the building.’’

Jed nodded, ‘’okay.’’

‘’Thanks,’’ Art whispered. And then he reached out, brushed dark hair out of Jed’s eyes and pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead. Before Jed could react, Art slid off his lap.

Jed grabbed his wrist again, standing up this time. He sat Art down on the seats, ‘’stay here. I’ll get your clothes and call you a cab.’’

Art blinked grey eyes at him and Jed couldn’t help but think that they were rather pretty, even blurry and tipsy like now, ‘’but my shift isn’t over.’’

Jed pulled back the curtain and gave Art a stern look, ‘’yes, it is.’’

*~*~*

Buster had never run around so much in his whole life.

The last couple weeks had been a mess but now Buster was back in the game and he had to tell his friends what had happened. They deserved to know, no matter what their opinion on werewolves was. But first he had to get them all together which appeared to be harder now than before he’d sealed himself away in his room.

First he found Raphael in A Touch of Ink. The tattooist had been profoundly surprised that Buster had emerged, ‘’Bus, mate,’’ he’d said, grasping him by the shoulders, ‘’I thought you were dead!’’

‘’Just MIA,’’ Buster assured, ‘’I need to talk to you.’’

Raphael glanced over his shoulder at the customer in the chair and then back at Buster, lowering his voice, ‘’sure, what’s up?’’

‘’Not now,’’ Buster shook his head, ‘’wait in the coffee shop after closing?’’

Raphael looked concerned. He squeezed Buster’s shoulders lightly, ‘’you alright?’’

‘’Yeah, I just...yeah,’’ Buster forced a smile, even though nerves were threatening to eat him up fro the inside like acid in the stomach.

Raphael didn’t look convinced but he nodded, ‘’okay. I’ll be there.’’

Then Buster tackled Gus. Or, rather, Gus tackled Buster when he saw him in the doorway. They tumbled to the floor with Gus on top of Buster, squeezing his neck so hard Buster couldn’t breathe, ‘’okay, okay...’’ Buster wheezed.

‘’I thought you got hurt!’’ Gus cried.

‘’I’m about to, if you don’t loosen your hold,’’ Buster took hold of Gus’ arms and was suddenly aware of how frail they were. Gus wasn’t the strongest of men but he was decent, even if he was all soft and cute. Buster had never thought of him as weak. But now Gus’ arms felt like twigs, compared to the raw strength that swam through Buster’s body. The newly made werewolf quickly dropped Gus’ arms and sat up.

Gus slid off his lap, ‘’sorry,’’ he said sheepishly, ‘’it’s just...we were all so worried and Val wouldn’t let anyone into the room...are you okay?’’

‘’Kind of,’’ Buster said, ‘’I need to talk to you guys about that. All of you. Tonight, at the coffee shop.’’

Gus paled, ‘’oh, Jesus, Mickey, you’re not sick, are you?’’

‘’Not sick per se...’’ Buster shook his head, ‘’just be there?’’

Gus graced Buster with a sweet, if slightly nervous, smile and nodded, ‘’of course. But you might have a harder time convincing Art and Jamie.’’

‘’Huh? Why?’’

And so Gus told Buster the story of the rift between the two.

Art and Jamie became Buster’s priority. On the way out of the last building on Bay Street, he bumped into his best friend.

‘’Oh my God!’’ Val exclaimed, ‘’you’re out of our room!’’

‘’And you’re...wearing a blazer,’’ Buster did a double take at Val’s neat and prim appearance. Val suddenly looked embarrassed. She fiddled with the edges of her blazer.

‘’How are you feeling?’’ she asked.

‘’Good. Carolyn came. She talked me out of the room,’’ he gave a small smile, ‘’I’m going to tell everyone.’’

Val exhaled, ‘’thank fuck, I don’t know how much longer I could sit on this secret,’’ she gave Buster an uncertain smile, ‘’you sure you up to it, though?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Buster said, ‘’I need you to do something for me, though.’’

*~*~*

Diego opened the door and was surprised to find Buster there. The kid smelled like a newly made wolf. There was also the scent of Gideon lingering on his skin, as it often happened with mates. Diego managed to bite his tongue and not comment on either matter, ‘’hey,’’ Buster said, looking nervous as all hell, ‘’I heard Jamie is crashing here?’’

‘’I am,’’ Jamie suddenly popped up behind Diego, a bowl of cereal in his hand. He popped a large mouth-full into his mouth.

‘’I’ll leave you two to it,’’ Diego backed away from the doors after a look from Jamie.

Jamie leaned on the doorframe, chewing his cereal, ‘’you okay?’’ he asked, seemingly nonchalantly. Jamie didn’t like showing emotions like concern, worry or sadness but every person in the pack knew that Jamie worried about them as if he was their birth mother, ‘’didn’t see you for a while.’’

‘’Had some stuff going on,’’ Buster stuffed his hands in his pockets, ‘’you look well,’’ he added with a soft smile, ‘’you’re okay here?’’

Jamie shrugged, ‘’it’s alright,’’ he didn’t want people getting some kind of idea that he was living with Diego for a specific reason, involving the fact that they were mates...

Buster nodded, ‘’coming back to the building?’’

Jamie’s eyes darkened, ‘’not after what Art did,’’ he ate another spoon of cereal and gave Buster a fake-sweet smile, ‘’I’m sure you’ve heard.’’

‘’What about the coffee shop?’’

Jamie swallowed his cereal and stirred the rest in the bowl half-heartedly, ‘’I guess I’ll come back to that in a couple of days.’’

Buster sighed, ‘’listen, Jamie. There’s some stuff that’s been happening with me lately. I’m...going to explain some things. Tonight. After the coffee shop closes,’’ he gave Jamie an intense, pleading look, ‘’I need you to be there.’’

‘’Is Art going to come?’’ Jamie demanded.

Buster hesitated, ‘’...yes.’’

‘’Then I’m not coming,’’ Jamie grabbed the door.

‘’But-‘’

‘’If Art is there,’’ Jamie snapped, ‘’then I’m not,’’ and he slammed the doors in Buster’s face.

He knew it was unfair. He knew he was being a bad friend. But he couldn’t help it. He was mad at Art for what he did – and made at his friends for letting it happen. They must have seen his hut being destroyed but no one intervened. They probably knew about the kidnapping too. They hadn’t come to check up on him when he’d been at Diego’s. Even though a part of him knew that they did it all to save their beloved building, the majority still couldn’t accept it.

Jamie went over to the kitchen counter and slammed his unfinished cereal on it.

Diego appeared in the doorway, ‘’you should go meet them.’’

Jamie whirled on him, glaring, ‘’that’s so you – eavesdropping.’’

Diego sighed, ‘’werewolf hearing. Can’t help it.’’

‘’Well butt out! Its none of your business,’’ Jamie snarled. He turned back to the bowl. He didn’t know what to do with himself, with his hands. Anger made him see red. He didn’t want to be in the kitchen but to go to his bedroom he’d have to go past Diego.

Diego pried himself away from the doorframe and approached Jamie, ‘’I’m just trying to help.’’

‘’You’re making it worse.’’

‘’Hey...’’ Diego reached out.

Jamie took a step back, counter digging into the small of his back, ‘’stay back Diego. I don’t want to talk to you right now.’’

‘’What are you so wound up about?’’ Diego said, gently – which annoyed Jamie even more, ‘’they’re you’re friends. They’re trying to save the building in the only way they know how.’’

‘’They could have told me,’’ Jamie said through clenched teeth.

Diego stopped directly in front of him, ‘’with your temper? Can you blame them for keeping it a secret?’’

‘’Yes!’’ Jamie yelled, ‘’yes, I can!’’

Diego sighed, ‘’I’m sorry. I shouldn’t wind you up more,’’ he touched his waist softly.

Jamie smacked his hand away, rage hitting its zenith, ‘’stop touching me all the time, Jesus!’’ he exploded, ‘’you’re not my boyfriend.’’

Diego snatched his hand back. He looked hurt, ‘’I know,’’ he said quietly.

Jamie shook his head. This was all too much. There had been too many emotion-rollercoasters over the last days. He couldn’t take it. He wanted his life back, without the werewolves and the council notices and the bullshit, ‘’then stop acting like it,’’ he whispered, pushing past Diego and running out of the house

*~*~*

Check out the next three chapters of Bay Street & some official art here!!:

https://www.facebook.com/aj.wilde.355


	21. The Werewolf Agenda

Jamie knew what he said to Diego was unfair, and that just made him even more pissed off.

He walked through the winding streets of the city, hands tucked under his armpits. It was freezing and he hadn’t grabbed his jacket when storming out of Diego’s place. He couldn’t calm down. His head was full of Diego. Jamie hated being dependent on others and yet so easily, he’d let Diego settle in his life – let Diego take care of him. Walking around those streets, freezing his ass off, made Jamie realise that he was an ungrateful little shit. Diego had only ever wanted to make sure Jamie was safe and happy. Jamie wrapped his arms around himself protectively at that thought. It felt weird. He and his friends looked out for each other – that was normal, even if it did take some getting used to at the beginning. But Jamie never offered Diego anything in return – he was mostly rude and mouthy, he rarely did anything around the house and he gave Diego shit all the time. And yet Diego seemed to care about him unconditionally.

Why did that thought made Jamie’s heart want to jump out of his chest?

‘’Stupid Diego,’’ Jamie grumbled, kicking a stray pebble. He was trembling all over and his first thought was to go back home, slip onto the couch Diego slept on and drift off. That freaked Jamie out. He never seeked out affection.

His second thought was to go to the coffee shop and hear Buster’s explanation about why he’d been a hermit up in the top floors of the last building on Bay Street. Jamie kissed his teeth in annoyance, knowing he’d go no matter what he told himself. He still pretended he was going because he was cold, not because he cared about Buster and wanted to find out who the hell had hurt him so he could kick their ass. Buster said he needed Jamie there. Needed his support. From the get-go, Jamie had known he’d eventually go back to the coffee shop and that thought made him irritable. He hated being predictable. He hated showing that he cared.

But even if Art was going to be at that meeting, Jamie would show up. For Buster.

*~*~*

Buster was grateful that Val sat on the coffee counter behind him. No matter what happened, Val had accepted him. It was good to know he had the support of at least one person. He loved his friends but he had his doubts about whether they’d want him around after he revealed what he was. After all, other than Val, they’ve all had bad experiences with werewolves.

Gus was heartbroken over Alex. It was clear as day, no matter how much he tried to hide it. His eyes lacked their usual shine and the colour was gone from his cheeks. He didn’t smile as much as usual. And, even if it had been a mutual decision, even if they had parted as friends, there was no denying one thing. That if Gus had never met Alex, then his heart wouldn’t have been broken.

Diego had stalked, bothered and even kidnapped Jamie. No matter what the situation between them was like now, he’d helped Art create a plan that put a rift between him and Jamie – and he’d caused Jamie a shitload of problems on the way. Maybe Jamie’s life would have been better if he hadn’t met Diego in the first place.

Raphael had been kidnapped by Fritz. He was technically complicit in his crimes. And now he was sleep deprived and pissed off, because Fritz had shut him out once again.

And Art – he’d been running around after Jed like a dog after a ball, trying to figure out a way to save the building. Buster didn’t even want to think about what Art had to say and do to get Jed to fight with the council on the behalf of a handful of kids.

And then there was Gideon. Gideon had hurt Buster over and over again. And yet he couldn’t stop thinking about the amount of money the werewolf had poured into Buster’s aunt’s hospital fees. Or his heartfelt apology. Granted, Buster didn’t want anything to do with his mate. But he couldn’t think of him as awful, not entirely, and maybe that was the problem. Maybe their lives were being turned upside-down because no matter what the werewolves did, they all had bonds with their mates that they could not severe.

Or maybe Buster wasn’t seeing the whole picture.

‘’We can’t keep waiting,’’ Buster said. The coffee shop was dim, illuminated only by the green fire exit light by the doors in the corner and the bright moon outside the windows. His friends were spread around in a loose circle, leaning on tables and walls, sitting in chairs, all waiting in tense silence to see whether Jamie would show up, ‘’he’s not going to come.’’

Art, who was leaning against a circular table, stared miserably at his feet, ‘’I’m sorry,’’ he whispered, ‘’it’s my fault.’’

‘’Yeah, it is,’’ Val said bluntly and Art flinched, ‘’we could have figured out a different way of getting Jamie to agree to the changes at Bay Street. We could have told him about the plan. You could have talked it out with us,’’ she waved a hand, ‘’but it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s done and the only person who can blame you for it is Jamie. For now,’’ Val reached out and gave Buster’s shoulder a comforting squeeze, ‘’Buster has something to say.’’

Buster took a deep breath, ‘’so, back in October...something happened,’’ his friends exchanged worried looks, ‘’I...you know how you all have mates now?’’

‘’...yeah,’’ Raphael said wearily.

‘’...I have one too,’’ Buster blurted out, ‘’it’s Gideon.’’

Gus gaped. Art exclaimed, ‘’wait, that dickhead that you stole the wallet from!?’’

Raphael shook his head in disbelief, ‘’if he was my mate, I’d lock myself in my room, too.’’

Buster looked away, ‘’I...that’s...not why I locked myself away,’’ Buster rubbed his arm. He still felt strange in his body and with everyone staring at him expectantly in the dark coffee shop, he felt like he’d crawl out of his skin, ‘’a-at the full moon...he...Gideon, he...’’

‘’It’s okay,’’ Val said when Buster couldn’t get the words out, ‘’just show them.’’

Buster took another deep breath, closed his eyes. He felt the shift. His stomach dropped, and then his front paws hit the floor. He heard the gasps of his friends, much louder than before. Now in wolf-form, he opened his golden eyes.

Just as the bell at the coffee shop doors chimed and Jamie walked in.

Shock made Buster’s blood run cold and a second later he was back to human form, breathing hard and sitting in the middle of the coffee shop floor. Jamie was half-frozen in the doorway, eyes wide, mouth parted, ‘’Buster?’’ he managed finally, voice chocked.

Buster leapt to his feet. He couldn’t catch his breath. He looked around desperately at his shocked friends, ‘’I-I could leave...Ellie said that I can join her pack and-‘’

Jamie’s eyes darkened, ‘’which fucker did this?’’

Buster forced himself to concentrate on Jamie’s voice, to breathe, ‘’what?’’

‘’Who bit you?’’ Jamie demanded and Buster felt his breath slow as he saw the protectiveness surge up in Jamie’s eyes. The protectiveness he was so accustomed to, ‘’fuck it, I’ll find out by myself,’’ Jamie whirled round, ready to march out of the doors.

‘’No!’’ Buster exclaimed. He ran to him, faster than any human could have, and grasped him by his shoulders, ‘’no, I...I...’’ and then he was laughing breathlessly, tears stinging his eyes, ‘’you came,’’ he whispered, wrapping his arms around Jamie.

For a moment, Jamie was tense, as if he was ready to shove Buster away, run out of the door and pick a fight with every wolf in the city. But then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around Buster, ‘’you’re not going anywhere,’’ he said quietly into his shoulder.

Tears ran down Buster’s face as he felt Raphael’s hand on his back, ‘’there is a lot of questions that we’ll need answers to, tomorrow,’’ he said. His hand moved to Buster’s shoulder and he squeezed, ‘’I’m glad you told us, Mick. And pissed that you didn’t ask for help sooner.’’

Buster gave a choked laugh, ‘’sorry.’’

Gus, who was prone on picking up emotions from others, sniffed, dark eyes glassy, ‘’it’s just going to have to be a group hug, isn’t it?’’ he ran across the coffee shop and lunged for Buster, pressing himself into his side, ‘’you can’t go to Ellie’s,’’ he sniffled, ‘’you’re part of our pack.’’

Buster unwrapped one arm from around Jamie and tugged Gus to his side. He’d never heard more beautiful words. A part of him had known that his friends loved him unconditionally, and yet there were enough factors to make him doubt it. He was glad he’d been wrong to make assumptions.

Val came over and pressed herself against Buster’s other side, wrapping an arm around Raphael’s waist. She wasn’t much of a hugger but even she needed the contact and reassurance of her family after the turmoil of the last months, especially with the fight coming up...

Art watched his friends wrap their arms around each other and felt a pang of relief that Buster was safe. He’d been scared that he was sick, that he’d end up in a hospital bed like his aunt. And then came the pang of pain – because Art had created a rift between him and the best family he’d ever known, and now he didn’t know how to fix it. It’s like he was looking down into a chasm with only duct tape in his trembling hands. He needed to go, he knew that much. There was no point lingering. Buster needed Jamie’s protectiveness and fierce anger, not Art’s stupid plans. And Jamie wouldn’t stay if Art was there.

Glad for the darkness that masked his movements, Art skirted around the edge of the group and went for the doors.

Jamie’s hand shot out and caught his wrist.

Art gave Jamie a questioning look. The others all pulled back a little, looking between them wearily. Art felt his throat close up, ‘’Jamie,’’ he said softly, voice trembling, ‘’I didn’t mean...I wasn’t...I was just trying to save our home-‘’

‘’I get it,’’ Jamie snapped. His eyes flashed, ‘’right now, I’m really pissed at you. In fact, I want nothing more than to smash your face into the window,’’ he put Art’s hand on Buster’s shoulder, ‘’but Buster needs you. And I get it. I get why you did it. Which doesn’t make me any less pissed off.’’

Art felt a flutter of hope in his heart. Being locked out of Jamie’s life was one, miserable thing. Having to deal with Jamie’s rage and resentment, but with the hope of redemption, was a wholly different one.

Buster looked at Art with glassy, scared eyes, ‘’Art, do you...do you think that I am...’’

‘’No, of course not,’’ Art quickly put an arm around Buster’s shoulders, ‘’you’re fine. Whether you’re human or werewolf, you’re family,’’ Buster’s moist eyes filled with more tears. Art put his cheek atop Buster’s, ‘’I missed you, buddy.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Buster whispered tearfully, ‘’I missed you guys, too.’’

Suddenly, the doors to the coffee shop opened and the bell chimed again.

The group broke apart as a familiar, croaky voice grumbled, ‘’where is the bloody light switch?’’A second later the coffee shop was flooded with light. The pinch-faced land-lady of the last building on Bay Street, who had been working in Jed’s name for years, gasped when she saw the human pack gathered in the coffee shop, ‘’sweet Christmas! Don’t scare me like that!’’ she shrieked, holding a wrinkled, veiny hand to her chest, ‘’you nearly gave me a heart attack!’’

 ‘’What are you doing here?’’ Val snapped at her. She and the landlady still harboured resentment for each other due to a skateboarding incident in the corridor a couple years back. The landlady fancied herself a middle-class woman and hated coming to the last building on Bay Street – and interacting with its tenants.

In fact, she only came if there was an emergency.

The landlady wrinkled her pointy nose as the pack held their breath, ‘’the council has decided to give this mess of a building another chance,’’ she declared, ‘’there will be renovations, reparations and new foundations-‘’

The rest was drowned out by the whoops and cheers of the group. They hugged, jumped on each other and made a racket hard enough to make the land lady wince. Art and Jamie skirted around each other, but neither seemed to care at that point. They’d won. No one could put a damper on their mood.

Except maybe they could.

The landlady gave a small, mocking, mean smile, ‘’I wouldn’t be so happy if I were you,’’ she said, ‘’they need everyone out. That means you all have to move out by the first of January, for a couple of months at least.’’

The group paled and the landlady’s smile widened. She knew as well as they did that most of them had nowhere else to go.

*~*~*

Jamie came home feeling emotionally drained. He didn’t even have the energy to chastise himself for thinking of Diego’s house as ‘home’. He shuffled out of his shoes in the hall and walked into the living-room, ready to go to the bedroom, dump himself on the bed and sleep like the dead.

Diego was asleep.

Jamie rarely went to sleep after Diego and he found himself stopping in the doorway to the living room. Diego was sprawled on the couch, his muscled, bronze arms extended over his head, eyes closed, mouth parted slightly, white tank top riding up to expose rock-hard stomach muscles, one leg falling over the edge of the couch, the blanket haphazardly thrown over his middle...

Suddenly Jamie was seized by a need to be close to his mate.

Too tired to fight the feeling, he crawled onto the couch, tucking himself between the back of the couch and Diego’s body, ‘’Diego,’’ he whispered, prodding his chest.

As Diego stirred, Jamie tucked his legs up to his chin and rested his head atop it, watching his mate wake. Diego blinked his dark eyes at the ceiling, frowned, rubbed them and sat up, making more space for Jamie subconsciously, ‘’what time is it?’’

‘’Late,’’ Jamie whispered.

Diego sighed, blinked a couple times and finally looked at Jamie. He didn’t smile. He seemed detached – Jamie didn’t blame him. Anyone would have enough of his behaviour. Jamie took so much from Diego.

Maybe it was time to give some things back.

‘’I went to talk with Buster,’’ Jamie whispered. He looked away from Diego’s cold gaze and pressed his forehead to his knees, ‘’Gideon bit and changed him.’’

‘’Shit,’’ Diego swore, ‘’I knew something was up,’’ he sighed, ‘’is he...okay?’’

Jamie nodded against his knees.

‘’...Are you?’’ Diego asked, as if he couldn’t stop himself.

Jamie raised his head slowly. With horror, he realised his eyes stung with tears but he couldn’t do anything to hide it. Or maybe he was just too tired of pretending like his life hadn’t been flipped upside down. He looked at Diego, letting him see all the fear, uncertainty and worry of the last months in his eyes, ‘’I don’t know...’’ he whispered.

And then he started crying.

His face scrunched up and he pressed his wrist to his lips, trying to stop the sobs. He hated crying in front of people but somehow, he didn’t feel like he needed to hide it in front of Diego. Especially when the cop reached out and brushed a strand of Jamie’s long-ish, wavy blond hair out of his eyes, tucking it behind his ear, ‘’hey,’’ he said softly, with so much care Jamie’s heart clenched painfully, ‘’hey, shhh...’’

‘’I-It’s just...’’ Jamie managed, ‘’too m-much. I can’t...I can’t...’’

‘’Sure you can,’’ Diego said gently. He let his hand linger by Jamie’s ear and after a moment he brushed his thumb over his temple, and then cupped his face, stroking his cheek. He didn’t get closer. He gave Jamie his distance, their only point of contact being his hand on Jamie’s cheek, brushing away tear after tear, ‘’it will pass, Jamie.’’

Jamie sniffed, blinking back tears futilely, ‘’I’m sorry...’’ he babbled, ‘’I was t-trying to think of a way to s-say it...b-but...I don’t know...how to apologise p-properly...’’

‘’Its fine,’’ Diego said softly.

‘’It’s not,’’ Jamie shook his head and a sob racked his skinny body, ‘’I treat you like shit.’’

A smile ghosted Diego’s lips, ‘’I have a feeling you treat everyone like shit, until they earn it,’’ he teased gently.

Jamie wiped his eyes with his sleeve, ‘’you’ve more than earned it...’’ he sniffled.

Diego stood up. He put the blanket he’d been sleeping under around Jamie’s trembling shoulders, tucking it around him securely, ‘’cry it out,’’ he suggested tenderly. He disappeared. The light in the kitchen turned off. Jamie cried for a little bit, then he calmed down. He was wiping away the last of his tears when Diego came back, carrying a steaming cup of tea. He slipped it into Jamie’s hands.

‘’Thanks,’’ Jamie whispered. He drank greedily, even though the tea burned. Half-way through the cup he finally slowed down, holding the cup between his hands.

‘’Jamie,’’ Diego said eventually, coming to sit next to him on the couch, ‘’you have been a little shit to me.’’

Jamie half-smiled against the rim of his cup, ‘’I know.’’

‘’You can make it up to me, though.’’

Jamie tensed. What was Diego talking about? If he demanded a kiss, or something more... Jesus, why wasn’t Jamie freaking out? Why didn’t he find the perspective scary or gross? Why was he not trying to desperately get away, ‘’h-how?’’

Diego looked at him in the dark, ‘’you’re on the missing list in the archives.’’

Oh, there it was. The freaking out. The fear, the desperation... Jamie’s adrenaline spiked.

‘’James Rogan,’’ Diego continued quietly, ‘’that’s your name in the database. Missing at twelve. I recognised you by your picture.’’

Jamie nodded, very slowly. There was no point lying now.

‘’Jansen,’’ Diego said thoughtfully, ‘’that’s what you introduced yourself as. Jamie Jansen.’’

‘’It was my mom’s maiden name,’’ Jamie whispered, taking a long sip of his tea, ‘’my dad was a piece of shit,’’ he leaned over the couch and put down his empty cup. He sat back. Took a slow, quiet breath. Finally, he looked at Diego, ‘’are you going to report me to the social services?’’ he was seventeen. In a year, whatever happened, he’d be free. But a year was still a long time in the system.

Diego sighed and shifted, so that he was facing Jamie. He slung his arm over the back of the couch, as if he wanted to put it around Jamie, ‘’what do you think?’’

‘’I think that you’re a cop,’’ Jamie said quietly, looking at Diego in the dark, ‘’so you have to follow the law.’’

Diego gave an irritated grunt, ‘’I’m also your mate,’’ he said pointedly, ‘’which means that, before anything else, I want you to be safe. And happy,’’ his tone softened, ‘’and you’re at least one of those things here, so...’’

So Jamie wouldn’t be reported.

Maybe it was the emotional state that Jamie was in, or maybe it was him trying to make up to Diego – or maybe he was just saying the truth when he murmured, ‘’I’m both.’’

Diego gave him a smile, tilting his head slightly as he peered at Jamie. The human couldn’t help but note how adorable Diego was, despite being a six-foot-tall mound of muscle. After a long moment, Diego finally spoke again, ‘’tell me about your life. Tell me about you.’’

Jamie owed Diego that much, but he would not speak just because he felt like he had to. Diego made him feel safe and comfortable, especially right there, in the intimate dark, under a warm blanket. He hadn’t spoken about his life before Bay Street to anyone. His friends knew snippets or the shortest possible version. But as soon as Jamie started speaking, he couldn’t stop. It felt good to let it all out. It was closure. And it felt good to open up, to let Diego know those things about them. Jamie felt the bond between them and he knew it had been there all along. A friend. Diego would make a good friend. Jamie hadn’t ever tried to open up to anyone besides his pack. He felt that they were so amazing that if he ever asked for anything more, he’d lose it all. But maybe it was okay to ask for Diego, or at least for a little part of him.

‘’My mom was depressed,’’ Jamie started, ‘’well, not really. She was bipolar. When she was good...’’ Jamie smiled softly at the darkness. Not speaking about his past also meant not remembering his mom. Now the memories flashed before his eyes, bright and clear and happy, ‘’then she was _really_ good. She woke me up with these fancy breakfasts – fruit cut into shapes, freshly baked bread. She’d pick me up from school in her beat up car and we’d spend hours grocery shopping and just messing around. She’d bake. She’d take me on hikes and bike rides. She’d save up to take me to the shitty funfair that went by our town once a year. On the good holidays, she’d make the most amazing Christmas spread on a budget. She’d decorate the whole house for Halloween and greet trick-or-treaters until morning. During Easter I’d wake up to her painting eggs or making chocolate bunnies out of scratch. I loved her like that.’’

‘’But she always got worse. It was like a rollercoaster and even when I was happy and she was good, I was always afraid. About when she’d go bad again. We couldn’t afford proper meds – the cheap ones she got off NHS were badly balanced and she was life-less when she took them. So we decided that she wouldn’t. And so when she got bad...she got really, really bad. She’d spend whole days in bed, not moving, not eating. I...I was only a kid. I couldn’t do a lot of stuff. I couldn’t reach the stove to cook anything. I couldn’t tell when the food had gone off. I couldn’t adjust the heating. I was taken by social services a couple times and it was hell. It got better when I got older, but... she’d have these manic episodes, too. She’d go raging around the house, looking for stuff that didn’t exist. Once, when I was six, she made me crawl into the trunk of the car and she drove out of town, thinking someone was after us. We spent the whole night camped in the middle of nowhere, leaning against the car. I...it was terrifying. I was scared of her. I loved her so much but she scared me to death.’’

‘’And then...’’ Jamie’s throat closed up and he closed his eyes briefly. He didn’t want to cry again, ‘’and then one day, when I turned twelve, she had a really bad episode and she pushed me. I banged my head on the counter, got a concussion. I had to go to the hospital alone. I said that I fell down the stairs but they wouldn’t believe me. They contacted social services. Mom must have known they were coming; that we’d be separated anyway. I came home and she...and she...’’ no matter how hard Jamie tried, the tears still came. He let them run down his cheeks, ‘’she’d killed herself.’’

For a long while, Jamie didn’t pick up his story. He sat there with closed eyes, letting the tears go. Eventually Diego’s warm hand wrapped around his. Under different circumstances Jamie would have blushed furiously, snatched his hand back and screamed abuse at him. Now he was glad for the warmth, for the comfort. Glad that he wasn’t spending the night in his hut, alone and cold and scared.

‘’For a couple days, I stayed in our shitty little apartment. Then the social workers came. I hid. They left, thinking I’d run off. I was in the middle of packing my things when the police came to investigate my mom’s suicide. I didn’t want to go into the system again, so I snatched my teddy bear and jumped from our window and ran.’’

‘’I kind of just went round until I turned thirteen. I went to a couple of homeless shelters but I’d been reported missing by social services and it got too dangerous. The bridges were adult territory and I’d gotten into enough dangerous situations with them to avoid places like that. I found other places to stay in – holiday homes locked up for the winter, attics, barns when I was in the countryside for a bit. I did a bit of begging and sometimes sat on a train all night. In the summer I could sleep anywhere, it was warm enough...’’

‘’When I was thirteen I found this building in absolute shambles, and the old manager – he was a total idiot, he didn’t care about what was going on – was hiring a bartender. He laughed in my face when I said I wanted the position – some snotty faced, skinny thirteen year old. But when I said I’d work for two quid an hour, he accepted my proposition. By the time there was a management change, I was fifteen and my wages were raised.’’

‘’When I got here, it was just me and Raphael. He was working as the tattoo apprentice. His parents had just died and he had a younger brother to take care of. We clicked right away and he showed me the little hut where I could stay. No one in the building seemed to care. The rooms for rent were in shambles, the coffee shop was dirty...over the years we made it all better but when I got there, it was a mess. A couple months after me, Val came. She was a fourteen year old runaway from an abusive home and she was hard to make friends with, but she rented out one of the rooms off her fighting salary, so we kind of bumped into each other a lot. Gus came later that year and he gelled all of us together properly. The following year Buster came down from Germany to live with his aunt, and then Art the year after that...’’ Jamie took a deep breath to calm himself. Diego was still holding his hand, ‘’and that’s how we get here.’’

Again, a silence descended on them.

Diego ran his thumb over Jamie’s knuckles thoughtfully. Then, finally, he said, ‘’apology accepted. You should get some sleep.’’

Diego waited for Jamie to leave. Instead, Jamie whispered, ‘’can I stay here?’’ he didn’t want to be alone ever again. At least that’s how he felt in that moment. And Diego made him feel more goddamn safe than he’d ever felt.

‘’Course,’’ Diego murmured.

They settled on the couch, their backs to each other. Secretly, Jamie was glad for the warm press of Diego’s back against his. The cop pulled the covers over Jamie and they fell asleep, just like that, squished together on the small couch.

*~*~*

Raphael had had enough.

Buster had been in so much pain – he’d been scared and freaked out of his mind – and Raphael couldn’t help him. Jamie and Art had a rift between them and who knew if it could be patched – Raphael certainly couldn’t do anything. Now they were all getting kicked out of the last building on Bay Street for God knows how long. Raphael and Art would lose their places of work. But Val and Buster and Gus would lose the roof over their heads – and Raphael had no idea how to help them.

But there was one issue he had control over.

‘’I know you’re in there!’’ Raphael banged his fist on the pack house Ellie had gotten for Fritz’s sub-pack, ‘’Fritz! Open up!’’

The doors were yanked open but it was red-head Graham standing in the hall, rubbing her eyes, ‘’it’s the middle of the night,’’ she grumbled sleepily, ‘’fuck you want?’’

‘’Is Fritz here?’’ he didn’t wait for a reply. He pushed past the girl and ventured into the building and up the stairs to Fritz’s room. He banged on the door, ‘’Fritz! Open the door!’’ He had no idea if his mate was inside but he didn’t care. It was about time they sorted out the thing between them. Fritz kept giving Raphael morsels of love, of care, hints of what they could be like, together. And then he disappeared, ‘’Fritz, I swear to God, open it or I’ll knock it down,’’ Raphael didn’t even wait for a reaction. He slammed his shoulder into the doors so hard it rattled.

A moment later it flew open, ‘’what the fuck-‘’

Raphael didn’t let Fritz finish his sentence. He shoved him back inside his bedroom and slammed the doors closed behind him, ‘’lock it,’’ he said coldly.

Fritz blanched, ‘’what?’’

‘’Lock the door,’’ Raphael snarled and Fritz scrambled to do so. Raphael looked around, ‘’its soundproof, right?’’

‘’Yeah, wh-‘’

‘’Good,’’ Raphael whirled round and pinned Fritz to the doors with his bodyweight, ‘’cause I’m about to give you the longest fucking lecture of your life,’’ Fritz made a little distressed noise and glanced away. Raphael snorted without humour, ‘’what? You’re not even going to look at me?’’

‘’You should go,’’ Fritz said, avoiding Raphael’s gaze.

‘’No!’’ Raphael yelled and slammed his hand into the doors above Fritz’s head, so hard the omega flinched, ‘’you better tell me what the hell has been going on with you.’’

‘’Nothing.’’

‘’Bullshit!’’

‘’I said nothing!’’ Fritz shoved Raphael away.

Raphael’s eyes darkened. He grabbed Fritz’s arm.

And then Raphael was sailing through the room. He landed on the bed, the breath knocked out of him. Fritz pounced on top of him, straddling Raphael’s waist between his skinny legs. He grabbed Raphael’s wrists and pinned them above his head, ‘’I’m stronger than you,’’ he snarled, ‘’I’m always stronger than you.’’

‘’If you were human,’’ Raphael hissed back, ‘’you wouldn’t stand a chance against me.’’

Fritz’s hands tightened on Raphael’s wrists, ‘’go home, Raphael.’’

Raphael was fuming with anger. He forced himself to let it go. He relaxed on the bed, under Fritz, and looked up at him, challenge shining in his dark eyes, ‘’we had sex,’’ he said bluntly and Fritz immediately blushed. He let go of Raphael’s wrists and tried to get off him. Raphael sat up quickly and Fritz fell into his lap, ‘’no, listen to me,’’ Raphael urged him. He wrapped his arms around Fritz’s waist and Fritz didn’t move, ‘’we had sex. I wanted it. You wanted it. And then you were gone in the morning. Now you won’t talk to me, you won’t even look at me,’’ he let go of Fritz’s waist with one hand to tilt his chin up, meeting his eyes, ‘’what’s happening? Why, every time we make some progress, do you disappear on me?’’

Fritz looked truly distressed. He opened his mouth a couple times, searching for the right words. Finally, his shoulders slumped and he murmured, ‘’I don’t want to freak you out.’’

Raphael nudged his forehead against Fritz’s, bringing them close, ‘’freak me out with what?’’ he murmured.

‘’I...omegas get really attached,’’ Fritz whispered, averting his eyes, ‘’ _I_ get really attached. To you. Like...clingy. Like I need to be around you all the time. Like if I don’t touch you a couple times a day, I’ll go out of my mind,’’ he finally looked at Raphael with miserable eyes, ‘’it’s freaky.’’

‘’Fritz,’’ Raphael stroked his cheek, ‘’have I ever been freaked out by something you’ve done?’’

‘’No, but...But I....’’ Fritz sighed in frustration, shifting in Raphael’s lap, ‘’you’re not a wolf. You don’t get what it’s going to be like if we...if I...’’

‘’You’re right. I’m not a wolf,’’ Raphael leaned closer. He brushed a kiss against Fritz’s nose, ‘’but I could be.’’

Fritz’s eyes widened, ‘’no. No, Raphael-‘’

‘’Bite me,’’ Raphael requested softly, ‘’I’ve already accepted you, no matter how intense you’re planning on getting. But I want to be with you properly. I want to feel what you feel, the whole mate thing. I want to match you with your intensity.’’

‘’You don’t know what you’re asking,’’ Fritz whispered.

Raphael thought about Buster – about how he was the same. He thought about how terrified he was of the whole change. If he had a fellow freshly-changed werewolf around, he’d feel better. And maybe Fritz would finally stop running away from Raphael, ‘’I do,’’ he murmured and kissed Fritz.

They kissed for a long, long time. Neither wanted to pull away, not after not seeing or touching for so long. They kissed and kissed, exchanging long, deep kisses and softer, slower ones. Fritz’s hands were tangled in Raphael’s hair; then they were rubbing his shoulders and tracing down his back. Raphael’s caressed Fritz’s waist, his thighs, cupped his face, stroked his arms...

Neither knew when they fell backwards on the bed, Fritz toppling onto Raphael, or when they stripped off their clothes, or when they started making love. It was like they were drunk. There was no start or finish or middle. They were caught in an endless cycle of each other’s mouths and hands and heat and they didn’t want to break it.

When the sky outside the window began glowing pink, Raphael, finally spent, collapsed under the covers, bringing Fritz close. Fritz lay his head on Raphael’s chest, wearily, but like he couldn’t stop himself. Raphael kissed the top of his head and buried his nose in his dreadlocks, ‘’promise you won’t run away this time,’’ Raphael murmured.

‘’I won’t,’’ Fritz whispered.

‘’Fritz,’’ Raphael said, ‘’I’m serious. I won’t you to bite me.’’

Fritz sat up, leaning over Raphael, ‘’Raph, you...you don’t know...I mean...what if...’’

Raphael kissed him quickly to stop him babbling, ‘’Gideon bit Buster,’’ he said and Fritz’s eyes widened, ‘’Buster is fine. He’s healthy. We don’t care what he is. No one will care what I am either,’’ Raphael caressed Fritz’s face with one hand, ‘’except us. Because if I’m like you, then I can protect you properly. I can give you what you want, when you want it. I can understand your needs and figure out my own,’’ he gave him a small grin, ‘’plus, being a werewolf is just really fucking cool.’’

Fritz laughed at that. Finally, still smiling down dreamily at Raphael, he whispered, ‘’you sure?’’

‘’Yes.’’

Fritz leaned down and kissed Raphael briefly – a warm good morning kiss.

And then he tilted his head and bit into his shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the next 2 chapters of Bay Street plus snippets from the newest short story here!  
>  https://www.facebook.com/aj.wilde.355


	22. Christmas Eve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy the chapter my darlings~

Jamie and Diego fell asleep with their backs to each other. In the morning, however, Jamie woke up sprawled atop Diego. Groaning, he sat up. He rolled his shoulders and then his neck to work the kinks out, feeling Diego stir behind him. He felt embarrassment from crying his heart out to his mate the night before, but not nearly as much as he thought he would. He rubbed his eyes sleepily. Despite his sore muscles and headache, it had been one of the best sleeps of his life. Diego grunted and shifted, lying on his side. He tugged the blankets over his muscular body and Jamie kissed his teeth in annoyance, slapping the small of his back lightly, ‘’oi. Wake up.’’

‘’Afternoon shift,’’ Diego mumbled sleepily.

‘’Wow. Lucky you,’’ Jamie said sarcastically, ‘’I have to be at the coffee shop at eight,’’ he ignored the painful knowledge that the coffee shop – and his life as he knew it – would be closed soon. Today was Christmas Eve. Tomorrow was Christmas. After that, a week until New Years...until the building was taken under renovations. But at least they’d won. At least they’d have it back.

‘’Then go...’’ Diego murmured.

Jamie prodded his arm. It was warm and he had the urge to lay his hand atop it, ‘’aren’t you going to drive me?’’

That woke Diego up a little. He opened his dark eyes, ‘’do you want me to drive you?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Jamie tucked himself between the couch and Diego’s warm back, pulling his knees up to his chin, ‘’it’s cold outside,’’ he said. In reality, he just felt like hanging around the cop a little longer. He’d never asked him to drive Jamie anywhere before and they’d been living with each other for quite a bit. But after yesterday’s heart-to-heart...well, Jamie didn’t know why he didn’t feel defensive or angry or in denial. Or why he didn’t want to get off the couch and go to work. Or why he wanted to touch Diego, even if only by putting his hand on his shoulder.

‘’Mmmmh...okay,’’ Diego pulled himself up onto his elbow and then sat up properly. He yawned and stretched, extending his arms out. For a second Jamie thought that maybe Diego would put his arm around his shoulders. Why didn’t he flinch? A couple weeks back he didn’t want Diego anywhere near him, so why...

Jamie quickly got off the couch and went to his bedroom to get dressed, trying to push out any weird thoughts out of his head.

This didn’t mean anything.

It _didn’t_.

*~*~*

The evening was beautiful, Gideon had to admit. The streets were busy with people wrapped up in coats and scarves, doing last-minute Christmas shopping. The square was alight with fairylights dripping off store-fronts. It was dominated by a massive Christmas tree. Gideon wasn’t a sucker for pretty things – he was pretty himself and he rotated in the model industry, dominated by beautiful faces, beautiful clothing, beautiful parties...but there was something about the joyful brightness of Christmas that always coaxed him out on evening walks during the season.

He was walking with his hands in the pockets of his black, knee-length cloak, nose tucked into the blue chimney scarf around his neck. It was snowing, but it wasn’t going to settle. It had been raining in the morning and any snow would be sludge in the morning. Still, it was nice to look at. Gideon tilted his head back to look at the white flakes, illuminated by the Christmas lights, falling down from the dark sky. A couple settled on his long eyelashes.

His head turned as he suddenly picked up on a scent. In the mixture of scents in the busy square, plus the smell of snow, it was hard to figure out its components, but Gideon definitely liked it. Maybe a cinnamon-pretzel stand, or a hot chocolate from a nearby coffee shop? Both would be a lovely thing to acquire on such an evening so without hesitation, Gideon changed directions and walked into the throng of people, away from the main square and down the high street. There were more Christmas trees here, in store windows. Gideon inhaled deeply, taking that delicious smell into his lungs, and exhaled. The air was so cold it burned his lungs, but it was also crisp and fresh and it made Gideon forget about a lot of stuff. Namely Mickey. And how much he fucked up the things between them. Maybe irreversibly. Gideon sighed. He didn’t want to think about it.

For now, cinnamon pretzels and hot chocolate.

He walked to the end of the high street and the smell intensified. Now Gideon was able to pick out something.

Something familiar.

He frowned, and stopped. The scent wasn’t that of cinnamon or chocolate. Rather...fizzy drinks?

Gideon exhaled shakily.

 _Mickey_.

He turned around, scanning the people sharply. He followed the sound of a pretty guitar, that was suddenly accompanied by a pretty, familiar voice.

And there he was.

Mickey, standing by a closed shop, bundled up in what looked like rather flimsy winter clothing. He was holding a battered, probably borrowed, guitar and was singing a Christmas jingle with a grin on his face. His cheeks were red from the cold and his eyes reflected the Christmas lights.

He made Gideon forget how to breathe.

Gideon’s eyes followed every movement of Mickey’s hands, every parting of his lips, every flip of his hair... he could have spent an eternity just standing there and admiring him. That feeling scared Gideon. And the knowledge that he’d lost Mickey scared him, too.

He clenched his fists. No way. He couldn’t give up. He’d find a way to make Mickey speak to him again.

He knew he was in danger of Mickey catching his scent if he lingered and now was not a good time for them to meet. So with one last, longing look in Mickey’s direction, Gideon turned and fled the high street.

*~*~*

On Christmas Eve all that played on TV were Christmas movies and carols. Jamie settled for MTVs top 50 xmas songs, threw himself on the couch and opened up a comic. He’d taken his box of stuff from the last building on Bay Street, where Gus had stored it under his bed. Jamie had tossed a lot of the junk away. Little Jamie sat on the windowsill in Diego’s former bedroom and Jamie, for the first time in forever, had the time to read his comics. There was the Christmas party at the Crypt in a couple of days to worry about but that would be the last one in a long while; until the building was renovated, at least.

The front doors opened and a moment later Diego walked in, carrying a plastic bag in his hand, ‘’hey,’’ he said as he passed Jamie on the couch, going for the kitchen unit.

‘’Hey,’’ Jamie replied, flipping a page of his comic. _Santa Tell Me_ started playing on TV. Jamie heard Diego bustling around and flipped on the couch to look at him, ‘’what are you doing?’’

Diego was unpacking the contents of the bag onto the counter, ‘’it’s Christmas Eve. I thought we could eat something nice for once.’’

Jamie’s and Diego’s diet consisted mostly of takeaway food, Jamie’s pasta and oven pizza. Diego could barely figure out how to turn the oven on. Jamie, eyebrow raised, dropped his comic on the couch and went over to the kitchen, leaning on the counter, ‘’what are you gonna make?’’

Diego raised a packet of juicy, red steaks, ‘’uh...filet mignon? Is that how you say it?’’

Jamie snorted, ‘’you can barely make cereal but you’re going to try and cook steak?’’

Diego shrugged and gave his mate a charming smile, ‘’I like to live dangerously.’’

The steak was not up to par. It was charred and way more bloody than Jamie would have liked but it was seasoned nice and Jamie never said no to a hot meal. The potatoes and oven vegetables turned out better than expected. Afterwards, Jamie and Diego sat by the table, drinking wine. Diego didn’t seem to care that Jamie was underage and he was supposed to be a cop implementing the law. They talked and talked long past midnight, drinking their wine, and Jamie didn’t want to get up and leave. The very thought made him want to groan and tie himself to the chair. He liked talking to Diego. Liked looking at him. He didn’t want to go. And that thought, that attachment, scared him a little bit. It made him confused.

But not enough to get him to get up.

*~*~*

Gus took a deep breath and pulled his old pre-war cloak around himself tighter. It was cold but that wasn’t surprising. It was December and it was 2 at night on Christmas Eve. Gus stepped onto the high street. It was completely abandoned at this hour, Christmas lights twinkling in dark storefronts, casting colourful shadows on empty pavements. During day they looked so merry and inviting but at night, when no one was around to admire them, they felt lonely and heartbroken. At least that’s how Gus saw them. He’d become well acquainted with the sorry sight of the abandoned city centre. After all, he’d been coming out here at the same time for the past two Christmas Eves.

Ever since he left home.

This was the third.

It was dark and rather scary but it wasn’t the empty streets that terrified Gus. It was who would be waiting for him in the city centre. Gus almost wished they wouldn’t come this year, even if this was the only time he got to see them. But of course the sleek, expensive Mercedes was parked under the big Christmas tree, as usual. Gus didn’t even know why he came, every year. His answer never changed. The loathing in their eyes was always present. And yet Gus couldn’t help but want to see them. They had been good to him, until they found out...

As Gus approached the car, the doors opened and two people stepped out – an immaculately dressed woman and a prim man.

Gus stopped a couple steps away.

His breath puffed out in a cloud as he said, softly, ‘’mommy. Daddy.’’

His mom looked him up and done, scrunching up her nose lightly at the state of his coat. Gus wasn’t surprised. This was the woman who spent her free moments polishing silver or taking walks around her mansion with a smug grin. His dad wasn’t much better. Gus couldn’t remember a time where, when they had guests over, his dad hadn’t tried to out-brag everyone else about his achievements. They were selfish and vain and arrogant, but they were still Gus’ parents, no matter what. And no matter how painful these annual encounters were, Gus couldn’t help but feel homesick every time he saw them.

‘’Augustin,’’ his mother said in a clipped tone, ‘’what a shabby coat.’’

His dad didn’t look impressed, ‘’looks like you’re not doing any better than you have last year. Perhaps you should come home.’’

Gus gave him a weak smile, ‘’if you’ll have me,’’ he hated himself, for being weak enough to hope. For wanting to go back, not because the mansion was splendid and massive or because there was always food and entertainment. But because, before the shit hit the fan, it had been good. His mother had doted on her son – they’d gone on walks and played together when he was a kid. When he grew older, they’d have long talks on the porch over lemon tea or they’d have cooking contests in the vast kitchen. His dad took the time to teach him everything from golf to Latin to how to drive. In the weeks after the revelation, his father had kept his distance. They did not speak and all Gus got from him were disgusted looks. When his parents finally decided to kick him out after nearly a month, when Gus was only fifteen, it had come as a relief to get away.

‘’You know you are welcome back home, Augustin,’’ his mom said. She did not approach as her face twisted with disgust, ‘’as long as you...give up your perverted lifestyle.’’

And Gus told her what he told her every Christmas eve, ‘’I like boys,’’ he shrugged with a sad smile, ‘’I can’t do anything about it.’’

‘’Of course you can,’’ his dad said harshly. He took a step towards Gus but he didn’t come further. It was as if Gus scared him. As if he was a monster or infected with something. Christmas lights distorted the man’s face with a thousand colours. God, how Gus hated those lights, ‘’there are therapies, group sessions, the church-‘’

‘’It doesn’t work, daddy,’’ Gus said softly, ‘’this is just how I am.’’

‘’No son of mine will be like _that_ ,’’ his father snapped. The unspoken words hung in the icy air. _I’d rather have no son at all._

Gus felt tears prick at his eyes, even though he’d heard it all before. His mom took a deep breath, ‘’we love you, Augustin,’’ she said, ‘’if only you will behave like a _normal_ boy your age, we’ll gladly take you home right now,’’ she gestured invitingly to the sleek, undeniably warm, car behind her.

But Gus shook his head, ‘’if you really loved me, you wouldn’t care about who I love.’’

‘’Oh, please,’’ his mom snapped, losing her patience, ‘’who you _love_? Has there been any boy that has loved you back? All these years you come here alone. Marianna has never mentioned that you have a...a _boyfriend_ ,’’ she said the word with disgust, ‘’you’re throwing away your life, your _family_ , for nothing!’’

Gus smiled sadly as a tear rolled down his cheek, ‘’you’re throwing me away, mommy.’’

His mom looked taken aback. And angry. Gus wanted to go but he also wanted to look at his parents for a moment longer. He missed them, so much, no matter how awful they were. His dad looked angry, too. He opened his mouth, probably to give Gus another horrible lecture before he left.

But he was interrupted.

‘’Gus?’’ said a surprised, familiar voice.

Gus hadn’t realised how cold and shivery he was inside until he heard that voice. It spread warmth inside him, like honey. He turned sharply, a startled breath escaping his mouth. There, like some gorgeous ghost, stood Alex, a little, clumsily packed parcel tucked under his arm. His hair was sprinkled with snowflakes and his cheeks were pink from the cold. All the heartache from the last weeks came back and hit Gus painfully. His heart gave a painful thump. He’d told himself that he could do without Alex, could push him away and live without him. But that had been a lie. And all it took was seeing Alex again to confirm that.

‘’Who is that?’’ Gus’ father snapped, clearly irritated at being interrupted.

Gus made a split-second decision.

He reached for Alex’s gloved hand and laced their hands together. He never intended to let go – at least not until Alex was swept away to his posting in the summer. It was only a couple of months, but it didn’t matter. They were mates. They were made for each other. They’d make it work.

‘’This is my boyfriend, Alex,’’ Gus said softly.

All three froze. Gus’ parents exchanged horrified looks. Gus could tell Alex had stiffened in surprise. He half expected him to pull away. It wasn’t fair – Gus had pushed him away and now he was coming up with a sudden relationship. He wouldn’t blame Alex for getting mad. But, of course, being the angel that he was, Alex relaxed quickly and squeezed his hand, ‘’I was just coming to see you,’’ he said with such ease that Gus realised he wasn’t lying.

Gus’ mom’s eyes darkened, ‘’Augustin-‘’

Gus gave her a tiny, heartbroken smile, ‘’see you next Christmas Eve, mommy.’’

His parents gave Alex a disgusted look and hurriedly got in the car. It pulled out from the city square and sped off, leaving the square silent and empty. Gus closed his eyes to stop the tears falling but he couldn’t.

‘’Hey,’’ Alex must have pulled his glove off because his hand was warm and gentle against Gus’ cheek, wiping the tears away. Gus opened his eyes to look at his mate and, no matter how badly down he felt, he knew it would be okay in the end. Alex gave him an uncertain smile. He didn’t ask about Gus’ parents and the human boy was grateful, ‘’boyfriends, huh? I don’t remember you asking me out.’’

Gus gave him a teary smile and leaned into his hand, ‘’I did. Just now,’’ Gus wiped away his tears quickly, ‘’what are you doing here?’’

Alex’s smile disappeared and was replaced by a grim, determined expression, ‘’I was coming to see you,’’ he repeated, ‘’I’ve thought about this for ages and I know you don’t want to get hurt but...’’ his eyes softened, ‘’I’m getting hurt when I’m apart from you. And I’m guessing, maybe stupidly, that you are, too. So I came to...ask for a chance, I suppose?’’ he pushed the Christmas present against Gus’ chest, ‘’and I brought you a gift to bribe you,’’ Alex added with a sweet grin.

Gus giggled and the tears stopped. He clutched the gift to his chest with one hand; the first gift he ever received from Alex. His other hand remained pressed against his mate’s, ‘’I guess I have no choice but to accept your gift,’’ Gus whispered.

Alex slipped his free hand around Gus, pulling him close, against his chest. He leaned their foreheads together. Gus closed his eyes. Alex felt warm and safe and _right_. Gus never, ever wanted to let go, ‘’I guess I have no choice but to accept being your boyfriend,’’ Alex whispered.

And then they kissed.

Ever since he left home and the visits started, Gus never thought he’d enjoy Christmas Eve ever again. The day was spent with him trying to work through the twisting nerves in his stomach. The nights he spent listening to his bigoted parents put him down, trying to take them in with his eyes, trying to hold onto the happy memories with them. And the walk back, inevitably, always ended with him going home alone, in tears.

Until now.

When Alex pulled back, his eyes shone with uncertainty and hope and love and Gus pressed close to him, wanting to kiss him more, wanting to be held by his mate.

Perhaps tonight was going to be the start of a good Christmas Eve streak.

*~*~*

Raphael was panting. His naked body felt clammy and hot but the fever was gone. He was surprised. He’d thought that the shift would be tougher. But after the bite, Raphael just got a fever and spent the day in-and-out of consciousness in Fritz’s bed in the pack house. The last thing he remember was sunset and a horrible, ripping sensation.

He was kneeling on the floor and he realised he must have shifted into wolf form.

Fritz was crouched in front of him, murmuring gentle words to calm him, holding his face and kissing his hair. When he pulled back, his blue eyes twinkled in the darkness of the room, ‘’are you okay now?’’ he asked softly, brushing his thumbs over Raphael’s cheekbones.

Raphael blinked. Once. Twice. He _was_ good. Better, actually, than he’d ever been. He felt strong, like he could run a marathon without breaking a sweat. His skin felt sensitive, his eyesight was improved. And the smell...gods, his nose was filled with Fritz’s scent and it was _good_. It was sweet, like the chocolate Fritz was always munching on. There was the pleasant, subtle smell of the air after a heavy rainfall. And below that a soft, hard to describe scent of an omega. It made Raphael want to lean in and nuzzle against Fritz’s neck. It made him want to protect Fritz from everything and anything.

‘’Did I shift?’’ he asked instead, waiting for his heartbeat to settle.

Fritz gave him a soft smile, ‘’yeah,’’ he breathed, voice smoky and rough, ‘’you were kind of gorgeous.’’

Raphael couldn’t help himself. He grabbed Fritz’s hips and pulled his omega to him, setting him in his lap. His fingers fluttered over Fritz’s hair, the panes of his face, the slope of his shoulders, before finally settling at the small of his back, ‘’oh, yeah?’’ he asked, distracted.

‘’Yeah,’’ Fritz murmured, tracing Raphael’s arm-and-chest tattoo with his fingertips, ‘’huge. Your fur was black. And really soft.’’

‘’You touched?’’ Raphael teased. He couldn’t believe how good it felt to just be around Fritz. Before, he had wanted Fritz at a human level. Now he felt connected to him, as if their souls sung to each other. He had no idea how Fritz had been able to resist this feeling.

‘’Couldn’t help myself,’’ Fritz nuzzled his nose against Raphael’s, ‘’I can’t believe you wanted me to change you.’’

‘’I can’t believe you actually changed me,’’ Raphael pulled Fritz closer with a wolfish grin, ‘’you’re so stubborn, usually.’’

‘’Get used to it,’’ Fritz wrapped both arms around Raphael’s neck.

‘’Oh,’’ Raphael growled, ‘’I intend to.’’

He swept down and kissed his mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my facebook page for a link to the rest of Lirim, the next couple chapters of Bay Street plus a load of original stories and art! 
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> If you don't have facebook, drop your email in the comments and I'll mail you a link <3


	23. The Fourth Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi lads!  
> As always, thank you for your support! Enjoy the chapter!

Somehow, Gus and Alex ended up in Alex’s hotel.

It was a rather small bed & breakfast. It was a wooden hut stuck between two modern buildings, the only reason why it hadn’t been renovated being that it was ‘picturesque’. Alex had the attic bedroom. He led Gus there, holding his hand. Once inside, Gus took off his jacket, looking around as Alex put their coats up on the pegs by the doors. The room was mostly dark, moonlight falling in stripes through the slanted window on the equally slanted roof. The room was pretty small but neat. Alex’s things were all carefully put in the right places, though he didn’t have very many belongings. His military uniform hung, unused, on a peg by the window. Seeing it gave Gus a mixture of feelings – pain at the realisation that Alex wouldn’t be around forever and pride for his accomplishments.

Gus turned away from the uniform, fiddling with his fingers, not knowing what, exactly, he was doing in Alex’s hotel room. He blushed when he faced his mate, finding him in the middle of pulling his shirt off. He folded it and glanced at Gus, who went even redder. He looked like a Greek god, especially in the dark, where his eyes appeared darker, more sensual. He put the shirt on the floor and went to Gus, his hand going to his elbow, as if he couldn’t resist touching him, even a little bit, ‘’wanna sleep?’’ he asked softly, ‘’you must be exhausted, after all that.’’

Gus just nodded. He only just realised that he was cold and his legs were keeping him up by habit. His eyes felt heavy. Alex smiled in the dark and went to his closet, pulling out a t-shirt and clean boxers for his mate. Gus was so tired that he didn’t bother going to the bathroom. He slipped out of his snow-soaked clothes and put on Alex’s. He didn’t notice Alex’s startled gaze and then the bite to his bottom lip as an attempt to restrain himself, ‘’is it really okay if I sleep here?’’ Gus murmured. If Alex suddenly changed his mind, Gus would probably manage to crawl a couple blocks before he collapsed in the sludgy snow. He forgot how draining seeing his parents was.

Alex took his hand, ‘’of course,’’ he led Gus to the bed and the human boy gratefully slipped under the covers. Alex leaned over him, brushing back brown hair, ‘’want anything? Tea? Something to eat?’’

Gus shook his head, ‘’no, just...come lie down with me.’’

Alex was more than happy to. He lay down on the bed and pulled the covers on top of both of them. Immediately, Gus wrapped his arms around Alex’s middle and buried his face in his chest. He was ridiculously warm, even for a werewolf, and Gus sighed, content, ‘’thanks for rescuing me today,’’ he mumbled.

Alex pulled his arms around Gus, keeping him close, one hand going up to play with his hair, ‘’want to talk about it?’’

‘’...another time,’’ Gus whispered. He hadn’t told anyone, not even his friends, about the arrangement before. About how after his parents kicked him out of the house when they found out he was gay, they only ever came to see him at Christmas, in some sick attempt to convert him. And Gus always went, hoping they’d just take him back the way he was. Only his sister, Marianna, came to see him sometimes. His parents...well, they were never going to accept a gay son and Gus hated himself for going to see them every Christmas Eve even despite that. For being weak enough to want those connections.

‘’Okay,’’ Alex brushed a kiss against Gus’ forehead and Gus’ nerves tingled. He pressed himself harder against Alex, not quite believing that he was really being held by his mate.

‘’It’s the full moon in a couple of days,’’ Gus murmured tiredly, ‘’what do you do...usually?’’

‘’Um...well,’’ Alex stroked Gus’ hair, ‘’I’m fairly new to this werewolf gig, so I’ve mostly been letting Ellie tie me up at her place.’’

Gus glanced up at Alex, ‘’that doesn’t sound very...nice.’’

Alex cupped Gus’ face, ‘’I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t hurt you,’’ Alex searched Gus’ dark eyes, ‘’do you...want to spend the next full moon with me?’’ he sounded almost shy, uncertain.

Gus’ hand went to brush against Alex’s, ‘’can I have a preview now?’’ he whispered, feeling his nerves tingling so much he got goose-bumps. He was suddenly much more awake.

Alex bumped their noses together, ‘’you sure?’’

Gus touched Alex’s face, brushing his thumb over his skin, just to make sure he wasn’t some kind of astral projection, ‘’we don’t have long, right?’’ he whispered, ‘’you’re getting dispatched in June.’’

Alex sighed, sounding almost pained. He closed his eyes briefly, ‘’yeah.’’

Gus scooted closer, ‘’then...let’s make the most of it.’’

Alex opened his eyes. Green eyes met brown. And then Alex closed the gap between them and they were kissing again, Alex’s fingers impossibly gentle as they slipped softly under Gus’ t-shirt, hiking it up. Gus let himself be undressed, not feeling embarrassed or ashamed. It was different to the quick hook ups at school. Back then he’d been desperate to confirm what he had felt since he was a little kid, and when he was sure of his attraction to other boys, he wanted to make the most of his time away from home. There, he had to pretend and hide. At school, too. It took him months to find boys like him at school and when they hooked up it was quick and full of guilt, as if they were doing something they shouldn’t be. It was sweaty and quiet and often awkward, and it always ended the same – with the connection cutting off. Some boys came back for a couple more quick sessions, but in the end Gus never spoke to them past that and they never approached him.

Then there had been the tinder experience, a couple months before his parents found out and he was kicked out. That had been even worse. The people that Gus hooked up with were older, usually, sometimes by quite a bit. They were confident, with their own tastes and kinks and techniques, and Gus had just been a shy, uncertain fifteen year old, jumpy at every touch, casting guilty, afraid glances at doors in case someone came in.

In the end, it was the wife that outed him.

It turned out that one of the men he’d been sleeping with was much older than he’d said – and he had a wife, and kids. The wife tracked him down in the hotel where he met up with Gus, with every intention of beating him up and dragging the bitch that was fucking her husband out by the hair. And then she saw Gus, a kid. She’d called the police on her husband immediately. There would have probably been a trial, had Gus’ parents not kicked him out as soon as the wife marched him home and explained the situation.

‘’Hey,’’ Alex’s murmured, ‘’what are you thinking about?’’

Gus pushed all those memories away and just shook his head.

‘’Don’t,’’ Alex whispered. He was in between Gus’ legs, one arm hooked under his knee, hand stroking his thigh. His other hand was caressing Gus’ face, ‘’don’t think about anything else. Just me, okay?’’

And it was so easy. Gus concentrated on Alex’s face, on the feel of his touch, the wild pounding of his heart, and everything outside of that moment disappeared, ‘’okay,’’ Gus breathed. He tilted his head up and kissed Alex, long and slow and deep.

It was so strange, having a mate. Even though Gus had only met Alex a couple of times, he felt like he knew everything about him. It felt like Alex knew everything about him, too. He knew where to touch, how to touch. He knew what Gus wanted and, more importantly, what he needed. It was almost as if they had a telepathic connection. Only now did Gus realise that mates were literally made for each other. He didn’t know how he could have just...let Alex go. Gus’ eyes fluttered shut as Alex brushed his hair back and pressed a kiss to his temple, just as Gus felt a finger slip into him. He gasped and tensed up. He hadn’t been with anyone, haven’t even thought about it, for two and a half years, since he’d been kicked out.

‘’Sorry,’’ Alex breathed against his ear, pressing an apologetic kiss just below it, ‘’too rough?’’

‘’No, just...’’ Gus exhaled, forced himself to relax, ‘’go a little slower.’’

Alex did. He prepared Gus gently and pretty soon the human boy lay panting and flushed and ready and Alex devoured him. Gus had never thought it would be possible to be ravished in such a gentle, intense manner. Alex’s hands spared no part of Gus. The places his mouth hadn’t occupied yet were quickly claimed by fingers sliding over Gus’ skin. The room was soon filled with Gus’ quiet, breathy moans, which he’d never had the opportunity to release before. He enjoyed the freedom of it as much as Alex enjoyed the sound.

When Alex finally brought them over the edge, Gus buried his face in his neck and moaned his name. They didn’t bother untangling from each other as the waves of pleasure rolled over them and finally disappeared. They lay on the bed, twisted in each other’s limbs, sweaty and panting, for a good five minutes. And then they just went again.

After the second time, Alex finally rolled off the bed. He was completely naked as he located tissues but again Gus didn’t feel embarrassed. Rather, he wanted to drink in every part of Alex’s body with his eyes, before he disappeared. Gus only had six months and for the first time in his life, it felt like a short time. Still, sleepiness was already pulling at him. He forced himself to jerk awake when Alex cleaned him up with the tissues, ‘’we could take a shower,’’ he offered softly. He was blushing ever so slightly and his hair was all mussed up. Gus wanted to glomp him.

Instead, he sat up, wincing. His behind throbbed, though it didn’t hurt, ‘’I can’t,’’ Gus reached for one of the t-shirts on the floor that they had discarded and pulled it on, along with a pair of boxers, ‘’I need to go.’’

Alex sat on the bed and pulled an arm around his waist, stopping him, ‘’wait, you’re not staying?’’

‘’Sorry,’’ Gus gave him a sheepish smile, ‘’I always spend Christmas morning with my friends and if I’m not there to help with the food prep, Val will kill me.’’

Alex sighed an brushed hair out of Gus’ eyes, ‘’it seems like there’s always something pulling you away from me,’’ he murmured.

‘’Says you,’’ Gus gave a pointed look to the uniform hanging up on the wall. But then he smiled and kissed the tip of Alex’s nose, ‘’I’ll stay after the full moon,’’ he promised.

Alex chewed the inside of his cheek. He didn’t look satisfied, ‘’tomorrow,’’ he said, ‘’save the afternoon for me. And the evening. And the night.’’

Gus giggled, feeling giddy and happy. Happier than he’d been in a long while, ‘’okay.’’

Alex finally smiled back and went about the room, fetching their clothes. He bundled Gus up in his own jacket and scarf and, hand in hand, they set off towards the last building on Bay Street. As they walked, Gus wondered if he should mention that, by the end of the week, when New Years Eve came, he’d have to find another place to live. He knew Alex would immediately take him into his hotel, but his room was rather small and Gus didn’t want to invade his space and he felt awful asking and he didn’t want to be a burden and...

Well.

He was just not going to say anything. He’d find somewhere else to stay while the renovations were under way.

Alex stopped in front of the building and Gus realised he’d been spacing out again. He smiled when Alex took him in his arms and gave him a goodbye hug, dropping a kiss on top of his head, ‘’see you tomorrow.’’

Gus nodded, nuzzling his nose into his neck, ‘’merry Christmas,’’ he had Alex’s present tucked into the pocket of the coat and he’d open it tomorrow morning.

‘’Merry Christmas,’’ Alex whispered, giving Gus one last squeeze.

Gus watched him go, disappearing round the corner of the street, before he pulled out the keys to the coffee shop. He slipped in, locked the doors behind him and jogged up the creaking stairs to his bedroom. There, he closed his doors, stripped down to his boxers and Alex’s t-shirt, and slipped into bed.

And then it hit him.

He’d had sex with Alex. He’d had sex with his mate. And they were officially and irreversibly boyfriends.

A helpless grin tugged Gus’ mouth up. He buried his face in his pillow and squealed.

*~*~*

Christmas breakfast was discount and chaotic at the last building on Bay Street, as per usual, and that’s how everyone liked it bed.

‘’Up and at ‘em, Bus,’’ Val only got up before Buster one day of the year, and that was Christmas morning. She tossed a pillow at Buster’s sleeping form by the window and jumped out of bed. She was nearly done brushing her teeth when Buster finally joined her, groggy and puffy-eyed. Val knew he’d been doing extra work to catch up on the time lost in bed, and that thoughts of Gideon were keeping him up at night (even if he would never admit it). She almost felt bad for waking him up.

But not bad enough to let him skip out on Christmas prep.

She brushed her teeth extra long, letting Buster catch up, and then they gurgled water and spat it out the window together. By then, Buster was a little more alive. They raced to the toilet, nearly knocking over a sleepy but chipper Gus on the way. They got dressed and the three of them met up downstairs, in the coffee shop. Usually there were four of them, but Jamie was staying at Diego’s. Val was still trying to get used to the idea of not having Jamie in the building all the time. In the end, he was the one most involved in it. The head barista, the bartender of the Crypt...

But of course Jamie showed up first.

‘’Ho ho ho,’’ he said, grinning and lugging in a plastic shopping bag, ‘’have you been good?’’

‘’No!’’ Buster, Val and Gus chorused.

They set about preparing the coffee shop, which would be closed from then on until the building was renovated. They had already put up the fairylights from Jamie’s hut, of which they robbed him every year. Now they pushed a couple of the small tables together and set about making the food.

It wasn’t exactly Christmas food but it was the one time the human pack splurged on some nice things to share.

Jamie brought bread and hot dog sausages that Gus diligently started turning into makeshift hot dogs. Val started microwaving the cans of baked beans, which would serve as ketchup, soup and everything in between depending on what people wanted.

Raphael rolled up next with two boxes of steaming pizza and DeeDee in tow. Val couldn’t help but peer closer at him. There was something different about him. His step was lighter, his body looked stronger, more agile, his eyes sharp...she shook it off as Christmas excitement and ran to greet DeeDee, who had been getting happily high in Raphael’s back yard ever since she had to move.

Last came Art, with a bag full of discounted canned fruits, a big bottle of fake Fanta and a printed picture of a Christmas tree. The others went to greet him and Val helped him pin up the picture of the tree by the table. They could never afford a proper one. Val noticed how Jamie hung back, heating up the beans, and didn’t say anything to Art. She fought back a sigh. She supposed it would take a while for Jamie to forget Art. Still, it was strange, seeing her friends at odds.

When the food was finally set out on paper plates and Jamie had finished abusing the coffee maker for everyone’s benefit, they all sat down at the table. DeeDee, stoned to death, extended her wrinkled hands to Raphael and Jamie, between whom she sat, ‘’shall we say a quick prayer?’’

‘’We’re not religious, DeeDee,’’ Jamie said, but reluctantly slipped his hand into DeeDee’s. The rest of the pack clasped hands.

‘’Nonsense,’’ DeeDee closed her bloodshot, pupil-blown eyes, ‘’we are true believers.’’

Raphael snorted, ‘’the only thing you believe in is self interest.’’

A dopey smile spread on DeeDee’s lips, ‘’dear Buddha,’’ she said, ‘’we thank you for bringing this family together to celebrate Ramadan. Thank you for giving us this glorious food, in the name of our lord, Jesus Christ. _Shehakol nih’ye bidvaro_ ,’’ she opened her eyes and beamed at the stunned pack, ‘’happy Hanukkah!’’ and then she dug into her food.

The others burst out into giggles, ‘’she’s stoned,’’ Buster wheezed.

‘’Beyond stoned,’’ Val agreed, chortling and spooning baked beans onto her plate.

They dug into the food, exchanging news of the last couple of days, gossip and everything else.

‘’I had sex with Alex,’’ Gus blurted out of nowhere.

The conversations cut off suddenly. DeeDee gasped, ‘’not at the dinner table, child!’’

‘’What!?’’ Val gaped.

Gus shrugged, ‘’well...it just happened,’’ he chewed on his hot dog, ‘’we’re dating now.’’

Art blinked a couple of times, processing the information. Finally, he felt relief, ‘’so you’ll be staying with him then? When the building is getting renovated?’’

‘’I-I don’t know,’’ Gus said vaguely, ‘’maybe,’’ he turned to Buster and Val, ‘’what about you guys?’’

Buster shrugged, ‘’we might find some warehouse room up for rents in the back alleys.’’

‘’If any of you don’t have a place to crash,’’ Raphael said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate, ‘’you can stay at mine.’’

‘’My van has lots of space!’’ DeeDee added brightly.

‘’Raphael,’’ Jamie, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly spoke up. Everyone fell silent, realising Jamie had been peering closely at Raphael, ‘’what’s up with you?’’

Raphael blinked, dark lashes casting shadows on his cheeks, ‘’what?’’

Val piped up, ‘’yeah! I thought I was imagining stuff but...you feel different.’’

A sheepish smile tugged on Raphael’s mouth, ‘’I was going to find a better time to tell you guys, but...’’ he undid the top buttons of his black shirt to reveal a healing bite mark on his neck.

Val inhaled sharply. Jamie gaped. Art choked on his food. Gus cried out.

Buster...well, Buster just smiled slightly, ‘’I knew it.’’

Raphael raised an eyebrow, ‘’new sense of smell pays off, huh?’’

Buster shrugged, ‘’are you okay?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Raphael looked at his friends, ‘’I asked Fritz to bite me. I accepted the change so it was quick and relatively painless.’’

‘’You’re a werewolf,’’ Jamie choked out, ‘’a _werewolf_!’’

Raphael nodded.

‘’Fuck,’’ Val threw her hands in the air, ‘’is this a new trend?’’

Raphael gave her and Jamie a stern look, ‘’this doesn’t change anything. We’re not part of Ellie’s pack. We’re still part of this pack.’’

There was a moment of silence.

‘’Well,’’ Art cleared his throat, reached over and squeezed Raphael’s shoulder, ‘’as long as you’re okay.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Raphael sent him a smile, ‘’better than okay.’’

‘’So are you fucking Fritz, too?’’ Jamie asked.

The table erupted with laughter and teasing and exaggerated cries of outrage. But Jamie just bit his lip and went back to eating, unnoticed. Automatically, he thought of what it would be like to have sex with Diego. Was this a natural thing? Did all mates eventually end up together? It was true that once Jamie let Diego in, he’d come to like him. A lot, actually. To depend on him. He felt safe and protected in his company. When he was around, Jamie wanted to tease him, whether it was while they watched movies or when they ate. He liked looking at him.

Jamie shook his head quickly and joined into the conversation, pushing the werewolf cop out of his head.

*~*~*

That night, Raphael and Buster were allowed on the first full, official pack run even if they weren't a part of the Winter pack.

Neither would ever forget the sensation, of shifting, discarding the edge of the city behind them to run in the wood and over the fields. Raphael and Fritz raced each other for a bit, then went off by themselves, to experience their freedom with the feeling of safety and family that came from having your pack run with you. Buster stuck close to Ellie, still weary of his new form. Gideon wasn't there. All the wolves reached a clearing at one point. They lay down, curled around each other, tails resting on haunches, legs propped up on backs, noses poking other noses... they lay there, soaking in the moon.

Then Ellie howled. Then Diego. Then the others followed. Even Buster and Raphael joined in, finding their voices, experimenting with their new power.

*~*~*

‘’That was kind of amazing,’’ Raphael said with a breathless laugh when, a little before midnight, he and Fritz finally toppled onto Fritz’s bed in the Winter pack house. Raphael fell onto the bed first and Fritz nestled his head on his bicep, closing his eyes and grinning at the ceiling.

‘’I knew you’d like it,’’ he said.

Raphael sank his fingers into Fritz’s hair, running the course dreadlocks between his fingers as the adrenaline of the pack run faded slowly. But even then, he felt restless. He glanced at the window. The moon had been hidden behind clouds for a while now, ‘’you’ll stay over, right?’’ Fritz murmured.

‘’Course,’’ Raphael wound a dreadlock around his finger. All the sensations of being a werewolf were still startlingly new to him. His eyesight was improved. He could see most things he hadn’t even though to notice when he’d been human, like the breath-thin strand of cobweb hanging from the ceiling in the corner. He could hear Jamie snapping at customers in the coffee shop even when he was up in the tattoo studio. And he could smell things. Like, right then, Fritz’s scent. Raphael closed his eyes and buried his nose in Fritz’s hair, inhaling that scent. He felt stronger, more powerful. But with that strength also came a massive need to protect Fritz, from everything and anything. The pack naturally had that for the omega, even if they were ignorant to his nature. Raphael had that plus the protectiveness of a mate. It would drive him crazy if something happened to this grumpy gangster boy, who had been nothing but a stranger four months prior.

Suddenly, a spark went up from Raphael’s toes to the top of his head; the hairs on his arms rose. He opened his eyes, just as another spark ran through his body, waking his nerve endings, setting his skin on fire. Another spark. And another. He inhaled a tight breath as a desperate heat bloomed in the pit of his stomach and shot down to his member, waking that up, too. Raphael’s eyes widened at the reaction. He looked towards the window again and exhaled in surprise. The moon was out from behind the clouds.

And all it took was Raphael seeing it for him to lose control.

Fritz kissed his teeth in mock-annoyance when Raphael pounced on him, pinning his wrists above his head. Raphael’s eyes were glowing intensely, ‘’freaking new made werewolves,’’ Fritz grumbled, ‘’no self control.’’

That was all the complaining he was allowed. Raphael tilted his head and kissed him, so hard it was almost painful. When he pulled back, Fritz sucked in a breath. His neck and cheeks felt hot. His body was beginning to tingle and he knew that any moment he would succumb to his desires, too, ‘’dumbass,’’ he murmured, cupping Raphael’s face and bringing him down for a softer kiss, ‘’I’m right here. You don’t need to act like I’m about to disappear.’’

Raphael seemed to get the memo. He took control of the kisses but he kept them gentler, though still heated. And pretty soon Fritz gave into his instincts. He knew he was releasing pheromones like crazy when Raphael ripped his clothes off him and then tore them off his own body. And then Fritz let go completely and everything became a haze. A glorious haze, filled with Raphael’s mouth, on his lips and on his neck, on his stomach and between his legs, and his hands, sliding over Fritz’s thighs and back and arms and face, and that intense, glowing gaze, and then a harsh, impatient rhythm of thrusting that had Fritz gripping the covers and moaning his mate’s name helplessly, no matter how much Fritz wanted to control his voice. Werewolf-Raphael was like the normal Raphael amped up a hundred times; more intense, more hungry for Fritz, more demanding, more passionate, more _everything_ Fritz needed...

Thank God the rooms were soundproof; otherwise the pack wouldn’t have gotten much sleep that night.

*~*~*

Jamie must have fallen asleep on the couch because he was suddenly jerked awake.

‘’Oh,’’ he sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning, ‘’you’re back.’’

‘’Hey,’’ Diego closed the doors to the living room. It was dark and the room was illuminated only by the soft blue light from the muted TV.

‘’How was the run?’’ Jamie got off the couch and stretched.

Diego raised an eyebrow, going to the armchair. The chains were already in place, ‘’since when do you care?’’

‘’I don’t,’’ Jamie said quickly.

Diego chuckled. He felt the pull of the moon but thankfully it was cloudy, so he could probably keep control for a little bit longer. He still wasn’t used to the way Jamie impacted him during the full moon, especially when they lived together and his scent was everywhere. He sat in the armchair, ‘’it was good. Raphael and Buster seemed to enjoy themselves.’’

‘’That’s...nice,’’ Jamie didn’t know how Diego had read his worry for his friends so easily.

Diego lifted the chains, ‘’tie me up?’’ he asked innocently.

Jamie rolled his eyes but walked over, ‘’kinky bastard.’’

Diego laughed and Jamie clamped the chains onto his wrists. Diego’s skin was much warmer than Jamie’s, as per usual. Jamie found his fingers lingering, even once the cuffs were in place, and he snatched them back quickly, taking a step back, ‘’do you, like, need anything?’’ he asked awkwardly, ‘’water?’’

Diego shook his head, ‘’I won’t be needing that once the full moon effects kick in.’’

‘’Oh,’’ Jamie gripped his elbow, shifting from one foot to the other. Diego frowned. He’d noticed that Jamie had been different around him in the last couple of weeks. More calm and cooperative, sure, but Diego also caught him staring a couple of times. It was almost like Jamie wanted to say something but was too afraid to. Or maybe he didn’t know what he wanted to say, yet, ‘’w-well, if you need anything then just...’’

Diego tried to catch Jamie’s eye but he was looking away, ‘’Jamie,’’ he said softly, ‘’what’s wrong?’’

‘’Nothing,’’ Jamie said, too quickly, ‘’I’m just making sure you’ll be okay tonight.’’

‘’Since when do you care?’’ Diego asked. This time, it wasn’t a joke or a tease. He was serious, his voice soft, non-invasive. You couldn’t corner Jamie or he would run away from answering.

Now, he blinked confused blue eyes at his mate, ‘’I...I don’t...’’ almost like he wanted to say _I don’t know_.

‘’Jamie...’’ Diego reached for his mate, automatically, and the chains rattled, keeping Diego’s arms at an angle, away from Jamie.

But Jamie didn’t flinch.

Instead, his body angled forward, ever so slightly, but Diego caught the movement. Like Jamie _wanted_ Diego to touch him. Diego dropped his hands. He couldn’t think like that, especially not during a full moon. A relationship wasn’t even up for discussion at this point, even if Diego craved it. No, he might have Jamie’s trust, but he still needed his friendship. He had to give Jamie space to, hopefully, fall in love with him by himself. Besides, Jamie was still only seventeen...

Diego sent Jamie a smile. His body was starting to tingle – the moon was coming out from behind its cloud and its influence would be so much more powerful when it did, ‘’you should go to sleep.’’

‘’I-I...’’ Jamie glanced towards the TV, ‘’do you...want to watch a movie or something?’’

Diego blinked, ‘’now-?’’

‘’Yeah, now,’’ Jamie said, before Diego could say anything about how dangerous Jamie being around him during a full moon was. He went to the couch and sat down, flipping through channels. Diego wanted to tell him to go but he knew that would only want to make him want to stay more. He reminded himself that the chains were strong, and they had never failed him.

And then he couldn’t think anything else because the moon came out from behind the clouds and his wolf took over.

*~*~*

Ellie felt the pull. She’d been feeling it since before the run. The pull towards Val. Her senses tingled, telling her exactly where her mate was, and that she was safe. Ellie was strong but it was possible she’d lose control if she got close to Val. So instead, after the run, she went back to her condo.

Tonight, it was just Gideon chained up.

Ellie was low-key proud of her boys and their self control. Plus, she was grateful she didn’t have a living-room full of werewolves pulling on chains and going crazy all night long.

‘’I’m back, Gideon,’’ Ellie said, loudly enough to be heard over the rattling of chains.

Gideon didn’t seem to care. His eyes were bright and gold. He was growling and yanking on the chains keeping him tied to the wall desperately. The paint flaked off around it, but the chains weren’t coming off anytime soon, no matter how much Gideon pulled. Ellie crouched down by him and his growl turned into a whimper at the comforting presence of his alpha.

Ellie patted his bleached hair, ‘’the run was good,’’ she said softly, ‘’join us next time.’’

She got up to get Gideon a blanket before heading to bed when she heard him mutter something.

She turned, ‘’what was that? Need anything?’’

‘’Mickey...’’ Gideon whispered in a broken, desperate voice and Ellie felt her heart respond in equal sadness for her pack member, ‘’Mickey...’’

‘’Yes, well,’’ Ellie quickly turned away from him, ‘’you can’t have that.’’

*~*~*

Art was dancing his ass off.

From the looks of it, the garage under which he rented his room wouldn’t last much longer. If it was closed, Art would be turned out, and at one of the most unfortunate moments, too. Without the last building on Bay Street, Art pretty much had nowhere to go. The one thing he hated doing was burdening other people. He’d have to find another place to rent out but for that he’d need money for a deposit. That meant more dancing gigs.

His shift at the Border was, thankfully, nearly over.

The party was in full swing and Art was glad he’d gotten the earlier shift so that he didn’t need to deal with the groping and harassment at closing time, when everyone was the drunkest. The song he was dancing to came to a close and he discreetly checked his phone. Five to one am. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the last song he had to dance to tonight came on. His hips hurt and he was tired. But he made sure to put on a show for that last couple of minutes, being as seductive as he could after four hours of dancing. He glanced over the crowd, making sure he was satisfying the clientele...

And spotted Jed.

He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching.

The song ended and Art hopped off the platform as the late shift dancer clambered on. He pushed past the crowd, fast enough that no one had the chance to grab and grope him. Jed saw him coming through the crowd but didn’t try to run away. Art finally reached him, ‘’are you stalking me!?’’ he yelled over the music.

Jed’s mouth quirked up in a half-smile, ‘’just making sure you’re okay!’’

Art remembered that tonight was the full moon. Jed seemed in control, though. No glowing eyes. No impulses. Somehow, that pissed Art off. Jamie had to put Diego in chains to keep him away; Gideon literally broke into a building to see Buster; it wasn’t exactly romantic, but...even Ellie had lost control when she first met Val, Alex and Gus were inseparable and Fritz and Raphael were hitting it off...did Jed just not find Art attractive?

It was probably the shots Art did during his shift talking.

‘’Thanks for all the help with the building!’’ Art yelled, putting a hand on Jed’s forearm.

Jed shifted, casually, but just so that Art’s hand fell off his arm, ‘’you’re welcome.’’

‘’So, what?’’ Art’s anger only intensified. He didn’t exactly enjoy the amount of attention he got after his dances from others but this was infuriating. Jed was calm and composed practically every time Art saw him. It was like even though Art was his mate, he had no impact on him. He stepped closer, so the tips of their shoes nearly touched, ‘’not impacted by the full moon?’’ he reached out again and brushed Jed’s dark bangs out of his eyes. His hair was down again and he was wearing a t-shirt and leather jacket, as per usual when he visited a club to see Art. Art liked it almost as much as he liked Jed in a suit.

Jed caught his wrist, gently but firmly, and pulled it away, ‘’you’re very touchy feely today,’’ he remarked, casually, but there was a tightness lurking just under his voice.

‘’Don’t like it?’’ Art asked, aiming to sound just as casual and probably failing. He didn’t know why he was so angry. He wondered if the full moon could impact him even if he was human. Or maybe it was just because Jed’s demeanour was so annoying. _It would be fun to get a rise out of him once in a while_ , Art thought bitterly.

Jed didn’t answer the question. He dropped Art’s hand lightly by his side, ‘’you should go home,’’ he said, ‘’it’s getting late.’’

Art rolled his eyes, ‘’yeah. Whatever,’’ he was about done dealing with Jed. He never knew what he was thinking. He felt...insignificant. He’d been insignificant in so many people’s lives before – his mom’s, his step-dad’s... – he didn’t understand why it mattered this time. Jed looked surprise at the cold, curt reply, but before he could say anything more, Art felt a hand on his shoulder.

‘’Heyyy~’’ a sleazy, male voice purred in his ear, ‘’dancer boy, wanna come back to mine?’’

Anything would be better than staying here and staring at Jed’s impassive face or going back to his spider infested basement room, ‘’sure,’’ he said, looking straight as Jed, like a tiny, petty revenge. He then turned around to face the guy and kissed him, hard. Immediately, the thought of kissing Jed like that – uncontrolled, without fear of his reaction – wandered into his head. What would it feel like? What would it feel like if Jed kissed him back? Art hated himself for thinking those things. He hated that he didn’t know when thoughts like that started seeping into his head – they were just suddenly there.

And then it happened.

In one moment, Art’s lips were moving against the guy’s. In the next, a growl sounded, loud enough to be audible over the music, and Art’s lips met thin air. He opened his eyes, surprised, to find he was looking at Jed’s broad, surprisingly muscular back. He peeked behind his shoulder uncertainly to find the guy he’d been kissing sprawled on the floor, looking shocked. Jed was breathing hard, his shoulders rising and falling.

And his eyes were gold.

‘’Shit,’’ Art knew he’d taken it too far. He grabbed Jed’s wrist, ‘’let’s go.’’

He pulled Jed away before a crowd could form around the commotion, through the throng of people and out of the crowd, into the freezing cold night. He didn’t even have time to grab his coat; he’d get it tomorrow. For now, he had to get Jed away before he went all werewolf-y on the Border.

He didn’t get the chance.

‘’What the-‘’ Art managed when his arm, tugging Jed behind him, was suddenly met with resistance. And then he was slammed into the wall of a random closed factory near the club, ‘’seriously, what-‘’

And then Jed kissed him.

Art inhaled a startled breath as the lips he’d been day dreaming about moment before met his own, sliding against them easily. Jed’s tongue slipped past Art’s defences, which had been rendered useless by shock. He shoved Jed back, more on automatic than anything else. Jed opened his eyes. They were still gold.

‘’Why aren’t they blue?’’ Art whispered. His heart, which had been pounding rapidly, slowed with disappointment. So Jed didn’t care about him at all unless it was the full moon. And then he wasn’t even himself. Art shook his head. He was making mistake after mistake, starting with even approaching Jed in the club tonight. He shoved Jed away, ‘’I’m going ho-‘’

He gasped when he was shoved against the wall once more, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to assert Jed’s dominance in that situation. Art had forgotten that he was dealing with a werewolf, and all the possessiveness that entitled. Art glared at Jed, ‘’don’t you dare-‘’

But Jed just leaned in and kissed Art again. Art clamped his lips tightly together and tried to shove Jed away with all his strength which proved futile. Jed grabbed his wrists and pinned them to the wall, kissing him harder, trying to get Art to part his lips. Eventually he let up, pulling back so Art could catch his breath, ‘’I am not,’’ Art said between pants, ‘’kissing you unless your eyes are blue,’’ his own eyes widened as he realised what he said, ‘’w-which doesn’t mean I’m kissing you _at all_ , I just-‘’

Jed apparently didn’t like that proclamation because he kissed Art again, softer now, but still insistent. Art jerked his head to the side, breaking the contact. His eyes stung with disappointment. Because, somehow, he really wanted this, and it was confusing and Art didn’t know what was going on, he didn’t know whether it was a mate thing or if he really wanted this and worst of all, it seemed that Jed was only capable of this, of wanting anything from Art, when he was under the influence of his instincts. Art blinked back tears, ‘’fuck off,’’ he said bitterly.

But of course Jed didn’t, because right then his instinct was to be with his mate. He put both of Art’s wrists in one hand, pinning them above his head, lightly, his thumb brushing against the side of one of Art’s wrists comfortingly. With his other hand, he tucked a finger under Art’s chin and turned his head toward him. Art glanced at Jed hopefully but his eyes were still blazing gold. He yearned for the startling blue of them, ‘’don’t,’’ he whispered weakly, voice trembling, as Jed swooped down again, pressing their lips together. This time it was just a lingering peck and when Jed pulled back, it was just an inch. Their breaths mingled. It was as if Jed was waiting for something, staring intensely into Art’s grey eyes...

Art shook his head, ‘’I won’t kiss you unless your eyes are blue,’’ he whispered. Jed’s eyebrows furrowed. He scanned Art’s eyes. And then he tilted his head, ready to kiss him into submission. Art didn’t know where it came from. He knew he would give into Jed and they’d both regret it, because Jed wasn’t aware of what he was doing...and the cry just came out of him, ‘’JED!’’

Jed flinched, as if he’d been slapped and, finally, his eyes turned blue.

Except now they were filled with horror.

He looked at Art’s wrists, pinned above his head with his hand. At his eyes, filled with tears. He put two and two together and he stumbled back, inhaling sharply, eyes wide and horrified, ‘’I’m sorry,’’ he blurted.

Art shook his head quickly, taking a step towards him, ‘’no, it’s not like that-‘’

‘’Did I hurt you?’’ Jed demanded. Art had never seen him panicked before.

‘’Of course not,’’ Art said, ‘’this is my fault.’’

‘’No,’’ Jed said viciously, ‘’no, this is _my_ fault. I...I shouldn’t have come here. Shit. _Shit_ ,’’ he stepped back from Art, ‘’I’m so sorry, I...I just-‘’

‘’Wait!’’ Art saw that Jed was about to disappear and he was gripped by an intense feeling. He wanted to keep Jed there. He didn’t want him to go, ‘’wait, seriously, I provoked you a-and the full moon is out and I-I...’’ he faltered when Jed stepped back again, ‘’please don’t be mad at me,’’ he whispered. He’d never felt this vulnerable and exposed before. He was cold and his eyes stung with unshed tears.

Jed blinked and then his eyes softened, ‘’mad at you?’’ he repeated, ‘’there’s nothing to be mad at you for,’’ he seemed to get his bearings, calm down a little. He shrugged off his leather jacket and passed it to Art, making sure not to touch him. Then he stepped back again, ‘’you should go now. Get home safe.’’

‘’Wait-‘’ the desperate word slipped out of Art’s mouth before he could stop it. The memory of Jed’s lips on his, warm and firm, came back.

But Jed didn’t remember, ‘’I think we should stay away from each other for a while.’’

Art stared, ‘’what!?’’

‘’Its Christmas break for two more weeks,’’ Jed said, ‘’I...I think that would be for the best. Take care,’’ he turned and started walking away.

And all that anger, and uncertainty and embarrassment and desperation came flooding back into Art’s system, ‘ _’take care_!?’’ he yelled and Jed stopped, and turned back to face him, slowly, ‘’we’re mates!’’ Art’s voice broke. It was hoarse from the cold and Art hated that he couldn’t stop himself talking, ‘’this is _normal_!’’

Anger flashed in Jed’s blue eyes, ‘’this is _not_ normal!’’ he said angrily, ‘’pinning my student against the wall and kissing him is not normal!’’ he took a deep breath and his voice calmed. Now he just sounded miserable and disappointed in himself, ‘’coming to see you dance isn’t normal, either. I haven’t been myself since I met you, Arthur. I need time away from you.’’

Fresh tears threatened to spill down Art’s cheeks. He gritted his teeth and managed to say, ‘’and then what? When you’re ready, you’ll waltz back into my life pretending like I’m not your mate, not feeling anything for me, not wanting anything from me, not even wanting to _try_ -‘’

‘’You don’t know what you’re talking about,’’ Jed said softly.

Art stormed up to him, ‘’fuck you, Jed!’’ he shoved his leather jacket against his chest and started running.

He ran and ran and ran. He didn’t even realise he’d ran the wrong way until he stopped at the last building on Bay Street. He rubbed his eyes. He wouldn’t cry for Jed March. He went down to the basement, taking out his spare key to the Crypt. There was no event on today. He went inside. It was dark and comforting. Art had enough of flashing lights and neon lamps. He found the bar by touch and crawled under it, into Gus’ pile of blankets and pillows that he sat on when he played DJ.

Art curled up in a ball and closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can check out the next chapter in the link below!  
> Plus the rest of Lirim, a whole bunch of original bl stories and some fanart! 
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/


	24. Full Moon Fuckery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya lovelies! As always, thank you so much for all your support :*

Jamie sat, unmoving, throughout the whole movie. He’d sat on the couch, tucked his legs under his chin and watched the movie silently, not daring to glance at his mate. He sat even through the credits and by the silence from the armchair; he knew Diego was under the influence of his wolf. Eventually, Jamie turned the movie off. The TV went static, casting a soft light on the otherwise dark living room. Jamie knew he had to move, but he also didn’t want to. If he moved, then he’d have to go to his bedroom and leave Diego in his armchair. For some reason, Jamie didn’t want to be alone. Or, maybe, he just didn’t want to be apart from Diego. He sighed softly. He’d been aware of those feelings surfacing over the last weeks and he knew he couldn’t ignore it forever. He turned towards Diego, set on saying goodnight and catching some sleep.

Diego’s eyes were glowing gold; his intense gaze was set on Jamie and the blond figured that Diego had been staring at him all throughout the movie. Why didn’t that thought creep him out? Once their eyes met, Jamie couldn’t look away. The gold of Diego’s eyes glowed so ferociously and yet it was gentle, somehow. Completely unlike that time in Jamie’s hut. Jamie licked his lips nervously and took a step back, ‘’I’m going to go to sleep,’’ he said quietly.

Diego must have registered his words because he tried to reach out; the chains clicked against each other as the cuffs caught Diego’s wrists, ‘’Jamie...’’ he said, voice low, desperate, needy. Full of want.

Jamie’s heart beat sped up, ‘’what?’’ he whispered softly in the darkness, even though he knew Diego’s instincts overpowered the majority of his speech.

‘’Jamie...’’ he said again, pleading, ‘’mine...’’

Jamie’s heart jumped at that. He put his arms around himself protectively, but he didn’t feel unsafe. Rather, he felt a subtle tug, like a line that connected him to Diego was being pulled. He wondered how much stronger it was for Diego. Jamie wanted to tell Diego that he didn’t belong to him, but the words just wouldn’t form. Jamie glanced at the chains. They looked sturdy. They wouldn’t break. It wasn’t like Diego could grab him or anything...

Before he even finished rationalising his decision, Jamie’s feet carried him forward, towards the armchair. Diego stopped tugging on the chains, watching Jamie approach with wide, gold eyes. Jamie stopped right in front of him, his legs between Diego’s knees. Diego tried to reach for him but his chains stopped him, so he just looked up at Jamie with so much love and desire that it frightened Jamie a little bit. No one had ever looked at him like that. Everyone dismissed him as a kid or a nuisance. Jamie reached out, knowing perfectly well what he was doing, and touched Diego. Just on the cheek, cupping it against his hand. He felt the scratch of Diego’s stubble. God, this was a _man_. And he would kill Jamie tomorrow if he went any further. Jamie faltered, was about to pull his hand back...

And then Diego tilted his head and kissed the base of his palm.

‘’S-shit...’’ Jamie stammered as he felt another strong pull towards Diego. This wasn’t normal. Humans weren’t supposed to feel instinctive things, like werewolves did. And yet there was Jamie. Just his luck that they were super-mates or something.

‘’Jamie...’’ Diego whispered again, voice warm and needy, and Jamie felt desire overwhelm him. He knew it wouldn’t go away. He needed to satisfy it.

It didn’t take much of convincing himself to slide neatly into Diego’s lap. Diego went very, very still. Jamie inhaled a shaky breath, ‘’I-I’m going to kiss you for a little bit,’’ he said, not quite believing what he was about to do, ‘’so just...stay still, okay?’’

Everything seemed so unmoving, even the air between them. It didn’t look like Diego was breathing. His golden eyes were trained on Jamie with intensity and confusion at once. Jamie leaned forward, keeping his eyes open, and pressed the shortest of pecks against Diego’s mouth. He then leaned away quickly, watching for a reaction with apprehension. Diego just stared at him, still golden-eyed, mouth slightly parted in surprise. The little peck didn’t do anything to quench Jamie’s thirst for his mate, but then he hadn’t expected it to. Slowly, he leaned back in. This time, Diego’s eyes fluttered shut almost immediately and he leaned forward ever so slightly. It made Jamie’s heart skip a beat, knowing how much Diego wanted to kiss him. Even if it was just the full moon talking.

Slowly, Jamie slotted their lips together. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do. He hadn’t kissed anyone. Since he ran away, he’d been on guard. Then he met his friends and his life became a frenzy of work and hanging out with them. No time for romance. He did watch a couple rom-coms with Gus. The kisses always looked so perfect and easy there, but now Jamie had no idea what to do. Ever so slowly, he brushed his lips downwards. Diego’s mouth felt full and warm beneath his, and he wanted more, except he just didn’t know how to.

Thankfully, Diego decided to ignore Jamie’s request to stay still.

He took charge of the kiss, so unexpectedly and suddenly that Jamie gasped against his mouth. Diego started the kiss off gently, brushing their lips together and Jamie couldn’t stop the little high-pitched sigh that escaped his lips. He leaned in and Diego tilted his head, slotting their mouths together. Warmth spread through Jamie’s body and he leaned in even closer, his chest pressing against Diego. His hands fluttered, uncertain, before he rested them on Diego’s broad shoulders. And then he felt the brush of tongue against his bottom lip.

He jerked back, flushing, ‘’n-n-none of that,’’ he stammered.

He wasn’t sure if Diego registered his words. The wolf’s eyes were glazed, half closed, and he leaned in towards Jamie for another kiss. Telling himself it was just an innocent way to get rid of that irritating pull, Jamie closed the gap, letting Diego kiss him again. After a minute he felt the brush of Diego’s tongue against his lips once more, this time more persistent. Jamie gasped and pulled away a little, ‘’Diego, seriously, stop,’’ he said, going bright red. Diego nudged his nose again Jamie’s, asking for another kiss. Jamie gave in way too easily, feeling warm and secure in Diego’s lap. The hot, burning feeling in the pit of his stomach wasn’t going away. If anything, it was growing, but Jamie couldn’t stop himself from kissing Diego yet again.

He wasn’t surprised when Diego’s tongue prodded against his lips for a third time. This time, with some apprehension, Jamie gave in. He parted his lips and Diego’s tongue darted inside. Suddenly, Jamie felt like his muscles were turning to jelly. He slumped against Diego, feeling all strange and fuzzy inside, heart jumping wildly and erratically as Diego’s tongue explored his mouth. Jamie whimpered as the kisses grew more ferocious, desperate. He knew things were getting out of hand, but he couldn’t find the will to get off Diego’s lap. His hands slid from the werewolf’s shoulders to his chest. Jamie felt Diego’s heartbeat beneath his shirt, sped up but even. His hand brushed up, to Diego’s neck, and that’s when he felt it.

The outline of the handcuff key under Diego’s t-shirt.

Jamie broke the kiss, angling his head so Diego couldn’t capture his mouth as he slipped his hands under the collar of his t-shirt and dug out the key that hung around a short cord. The key seemed to taunt Jamie, lying small and silver in Jamie’s hand. Jamie tried to tell himself to put the key back when Diego unexpectedly swooped down and pressed his mouth to Jamie’s mouth. Jamie yelped and pushed himself away. It had only been one hot brush of mouth against skin, but the heat in Jamie’s stomach flared. He felt, to his dismay, his member harden.

 _Go, Jamie. Go._ But still Jamie couldn’t get off Diego. He kept telling himself five more seconds, ten more seconds, but the truth was, kissing Diego, being close to him, was way better than Jamie had expected. It felt good. Jamie wanted more. So when Diego inclined his head and grazed his mouth against Jamie’s throat, Jamie leaned in. Diego’s tongue flicked against his throat and Jamie shivered. When Diego saw that his mate wasn’t pulling away, he grew bolder. He kissed Jamie’s neck, long and slow, grazing his teeth against his skin once in a while, making Jamie gasp and tremble. Jamie pulled back, ever so slightly. He remained close enough that his breath mingled with Diego’s. He still had a grip on the key, ‘’we should stop,’’ he told Diego, hoping maybe he’d snap out of his full moon wolf mentality and shove Jamie off or something. But no. Of course not. Diego just nudged his nose against Jamie’s again.

‘’Jamie,’’ he said it almost like a question. Like he was asking what’s wrong.

‘’Fuck, you’re going to kill me,’’ Jamie whispered to himself.

And then he yanked on the key.

The thin cord snapped and Jamie scrambled off Diego’s lap, key in hand. Immediately, Diego whimpered, ‘’no...’’ he said, voice strangled.

Jamie knew he wasn’t thinking straight. He was panting and hard and full of emotions he’d never experienced before. But he yearned for Diego. He’d been wanting, _needing_ , his company for weeks. He was unconsciously waiting up at night to hear his voice before going to bed. He found movies when he was alone to rope Diego into movie nights when he got off work. And now he wanted to kiss him, to touch him. For the first time in his life, Jamie wanted to feel a man against him, inside him. This feeling scared him.

But he was never one to let his fear win.

He shoved the key into the slot in one of the handcuffs and twisted. The cuff gave way. Before Diego could move, Jamie did the same with the other cuff. And then Diego was free. He didn’t move, sitting in the armchair and staring at Jamie. The blond dropped the key on the table and licked his lips nervously, ‘’there,’’ he said, feeling the sudden urge to flee. He needed Diego to make the next move – or not. It was his choice.

Now that he was off Diego’s lap, it was easier to turn quickly and run to the bedroom. Jamie closed the doors behind him, heart hammering in his chest, breath coming out in pants. He went to the window, paced back, hesitated and then sat down on the bed. He watched the doors, wondering if Diego was going to come in. He’d seemed subdued tonight, calmer. Maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he’d stay planted on the armchair. Jamie didn’t know if he’d be disappointed or relieved. Probably both. If Diego didn’t come then tomorrow Jamie could pretend none of this happened.

But it did happen, and Jamie wanted more.

Jamie had once decided to experiment when he got high off weed. He’d trekked upstairs to his hut, fifteen or so, and tried to stick a finger up his ass. It hurt and felt weird and Jamie gave up almost immediately. The next time he was at an internet cafe, he googled a couple things. A lot of shit came up, like condoms and lube. It all kind of seemed expensive so Jamie ditched the idea all together. Now he went through the cupboards. He found a packet of condoms almost immediately, half empty, which made him feel strangely...annoyed? Lube was more hard but Jamie was sure Diego would have some and eventually found a bottle under the bed. He put the two items on the night stand and observed them in the dark. It hit him that he was really preparing to have sex with his mate – something he swore he’d never do. He didn’t even know all that much about what went on in the bed. But no matter how ignorant he was of it, how afraid, the persistent burning of desire remained. He was hard in his underwear and it didn’t look like that would go away anytime soon.

Jamie glanced at the doors. He felt stupid. What he needed to do was put the cursed items away so Diego wouldn’t see them in the morning, have a wank in the bathroom and go to sleep. Jamie reached up and touched his lips. They felt sore and plump. The kiss seemed like such a faraway thing, so unreal, now that Jamie was thinking straight. He sighed and reached for the lube to toss it back under the bed.

And right then the doors creaked open.

Jamie jumped, surprised, and turned just as Diego entered the room. He kicked the doors closed with his foot and approached. His eyes were still burning gold. Jamie tensed, ready for Diego to tackle him onto the bed. Instead, the wolf walked over slowly and stopped a couple of steps away, ‘’Jamie...’’ he breathed and Jamie felt his knees grow weak, just like that. He sat on the edge of the bed heavily.

Diego closed the gap between them and slid to his knees in front of a startled Jamie. Diego took his mate’s hand and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to his wrist. Jamie went scarlet, ‘’D-Diego, what...’’

Diego let Jamie’s hand go and put his hands on Jamie’s knees, pushing them apart. Jamie blushed even harder, ‘’w-whoa, what are you-‘’

Diego put a hand against Jamie’s chest and pushed him backwards. With a startled yelp, Jamie landed on his back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He felt Diego’s fingers at the button of his jeans and sucked in a breath. He had no idea what to do. Kicking Diego away and chaining him to something would be the most responsible thing to do but Jamie just...couldn’t. He was scared and embarrassed of what was happening but somehow he still wanted it, ‘’stupid mate thing...’’ he whispered to himself as Diego pulled down his jeans and took them off completely.

Jamie closed his eyes, willing himself to breath evenly as Diego hooked his thumbs into the waistband of Jamie’s underwear. Jamie inhaled slowly. God, this was probably the most embarrassing moment of his life. No one had ever seen him naked since he ran away. What if Diego didn’t like him? What if Diego didn’t want to touch him or-

With one neat swipe, Diego took Jamie’s boxers off and tossed them to the floor. Before Jamie could register that he was naked from the waist down, Diego’s warm mouth found his sensitive inner thigh and pressed a kiss there. Jamie shivered as Diego made his way up, pressing gentle kisses to his thigh. Jamie yelped when Diego reached his erection and, with no warning, took the head in his mouth, ‘’w-w-wait!’’ Jamie managed, ‘’stop, don’t just...’’ the rest of his sentence was lost in a breathless moan as Diego swooped his head down, taking all of Jamie inside his mouth, and began sucking, ‘’oh shit...’’ Jamie whimpered, twisting atop the sheets, ‘’oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...’’

Diego’s mouth was warm and wet and God, Jamie had never felt anything like it before...

Embarrassingly quickly, Jamie felt his pleasure build up. He reached down between his legs and grasped Diego’s hair, trying futilely to make him stop, ‘’oh, fuck, Jesus, shit, stop it Diego, I-I’m gonna...’’

He bit his lip as he came, his whole body shuddering with pleasure Jamie had never felt before. His hand in Diego’s hair went slack. Diego swallowed and proceeded to shower Jamie’s thighs with kisses again. Jamie drew his hand back, letting it fall limply by his head, ‘’shit...’’ he breathed, closing his eyes, revelling in the afterglow or orgasm and the feeling of Diego’s kisses.

The next thing he knew, he was being moved.

This time, Jamie didn’t yelp. He just grasped on tightly to Diego’s neck as the wolf manoeuvred him onto the bed properly, sliding between his legs. He plopped Jamie gently on the pillows and slipped his hot fingers under the hem of Jamie’s t-shirt, getting it over his head and tossing it to the floor with the rest of his clothes. Jamie’s breath was fluttery as he looked up at Diego. He felt...strangely calm. Extremely aroused, but calm. He was completely naked under a man for the first time and he wanted nothing more than to stay like that.

Diego seemed to share his sentiment. He hovered above Jamie, taking every inch of him in with his glowing eyes, ‘’Jamie...’’ he whispered and this time Jamie heard the restrained need in his voice. Diego would snap, sooner or later. His control would disappear completely. Jamie reached out and snatched the lube from the night stand, extending it to his mate.

‘’Here,’’ he said, feeling the rhythm of his heart pick up again, ‘’do whatever you want. Just...use that.’’

Diego seemed confused for a second. Then he pulled out from between Jamie’s legs and opened the lube, probably more by memory than instinct. He squirted clear liquid over his fingers and rubbed them together. Jamie realised what was about to happen and squeezed his eyes shut. The first prod of Diego’s finger had Jamie tensing, ‘’no...’’ Diego whispered, pressing a kiss to his knee, ‘’relax...’’

Jamie exhaled, made himself breathe evenly and Diego slowly worked his finger in. The lube was a shock of cold and the finger felt uncomfortable. Weird. Like it wasn’t supposed to be there. Jamie bit his lip and didn’t say anything. The second finger had him sucking in a breath and gritting his teeth at the sting of pain. Slowly, Diego worked his fingers in and out, in and out, in and out...

Jamie adjusted quickly, like his body was ready for his mate. The full moon was stupid, but it was also useful. As Jamie got used to the stretch, he started to enjoy the movement inside him. It was stimulating and pleasant, but he needed more. Diego seemed to think so, too, because he withdrew his fingers. He hooked his fingers into the hem of his t-shirt and yanked it over his head. Jamie felt his stomach flutter at the sight of Diego’s perfect, bronze muscles. Then Diego undid the buckle of his belt and Jamie couldn’t tear his eyes away as Diego undressed fully. He sucked in a breath when he was done. Diego was huge and throbbing and hard. Jamie didn’t think porn dicks actually existed in real life but, well...here was one.

‘’U-um, Diego...’’ if Jamie told him to go slow, would he understand?

Diego crawled in-between Jamie’s thighs again, his heavy erection resting against Jamie’s. Jamie bit his lip, hoping Diego didn’t lose control right in that moment. If he decided to slam into Jamie, the blond would probably pass out. But apparently he had nothing to worry about because Diego pressed a gentle kiss to his brow, hands sliding over his skinny, pale body with ridiculous gentleness. Diego’s mouth found Jamie and he kissed him, long and slow, before reaching down. He gave Jamie a couple pumps with his hand until he was fully hard once again, before taking his own erection and prodding it against Jamie’s entrance.

When the head went in, it wasn’t so bad. Definitely uncomfortable, but Jamie could deal.

It was the rest of it that Jamie couldn’t take.

An inch later, Jamie was flinching, breathing irregularly and trying to keep back pained cries. It felt like...well, like something was going to rip. And yet Jamie didn’t want Diego to stop. Maybe he’d adjust. Maybe it’d get better... Diego pushed in another inch slowly and Jamie couldn’t hold it back. He hissed, ‘’ah, wait...’’ even though he didn’t mean to.

Diego stopped immediately, glanced at Jamie’s face and...his eyes flicked to brown, just for a second, before the gold returned, but Diego pulled out quickly. All the way out. And sat back on his heels.

Jamie surprised himself when he reached out for Diego, ‘’no...’’ he whispered. His erection was coming back almost as soon as the pain was gone, ‘’no, I don’t want to stop...’’

‘’Jamie...’’

‘’I’m fine,’’ Jamie assured.

But Diego didn’t look convinced. He reached for the lube again and squirted some all over his fingers again. He leaned over Jamie and pressed one finger inside him again, ‘’Jamie...’’ he murmured, ‘’my love...’’

Jamie’s heart fluttered. He wanted to tell Diego to shut up, not to say sappy shit, but then the wolf pushed the second finger in. This time it went in smoothly, slick and warm. Diego worked the fingers in and out a couple times before a third prodded at Jamie’s entrance, ‘’o-oh,’’ Jamie realised he was getting more prep.

After Diego’s dick, the finger went in painlessly, though it left an uncomfortable burn behind it. Jamie bit his lip. Diego was staring at his face, studying it, and now he leaned down and kissed Jamie’s lips. Jamie leaned up into the kiss, letting it distract him from the burn. Diego worked the three fingers in and out, speeding up gradually. They moved with soft, sloppy noises, now moving slowly, and Jamie felt himself accommodate. Everything from his thighs to his belly button burned with a hungry fire and eventually he started unconsciously thrusting his hips down, onto Diego’s fingers.

Deeming him ready, Diego withdrew them and pressed his member against Jamie’s entrance again. Jamie reached out, resting his hands on Diego’s forearms on either side of Jamie’s hips. He brushed his fingers up and down, a caress that Jamie didn’t think himself capable of, but that came naturally. Diego went almost annoyingly slow this time, but the extra prep worked. There was still a small burn but slowly it gave way to the pleasurable, heavy feeling of having something inside him.

Diego set a slow rhythm, each time pushing a little bit more of himself into Jamie, until he was buried to the hilt and Jamie’s breath was ragged. Jamie looked up at Diego who leaned down to kiss him passionately. Then he pulled back, speeding up a little. And then, with a wicked grin, he angled himself and thrust in all the way.

Jamie cried out as suddenly Diego hit something, deep inside him and pleasure flew up his body like a gun shot. Jamie tried to find his voice to tell Diego to wait, to slow down as he adjusted to this new, powerful sensation, but when Jamie opened his mouth all that came out were high-pitched moans as Diego hit that spot inside him over and over.

Jamie came without touching himself, feeling so hot he swore he had a fever.

Diego pulled out and finished himself off with his hand. He came all over Jamie’s stomach but Jamie couldn’t bring himself to care, lost in the wonderful world of newly discovered pleasures.

Jamie figured that they’d just go to sleep. He felt tired. But as he caught his breath, Diego showered him with kisses. And then he flipped Jamie over and raised his hips and pushed himself slowly inside him again. All it took was one touch from his mate to expel his fatigue. At that point Jamie wasn’t even aware of what he was doing. He was completely lost in the feel of his mate. He didn’t know if it was the mate thing or the full moon thing and in that moment, he didn’t care.

By the third round, Diego lost control. He gripped Jamie hard and pounded into him even harder. They did it again with Jamie on his back. Then with Jamie in Diego’s lap, where Diego thrust so far inside him Jamie felt like he’d scream in pleasure.

They finished when the moon began fading in the sky.

It was as if a switch had been turned off. Diego collapsed next to Jamie on the covers. They were still both breathing hard, but after a moment Diego draped an arm over Jamie’s waist and fell asleep. Just like that.

Jamie  pushed Diego’s arm off him and crawled off the bed, having enough sense to retrieve their underwear. He couldn’t feel his ass at all which, he figured, was a blessing. It was all a bit much for his first time, but Jamie knew what he was signing up for when he unlocked Diego’s chains. He pulled on his underwear, careful not to move too much, and then did the same for the sleeping Diego. He had just enough energy left to crawl back into bed and throw the covers over himself.

And then it hit him.

What he’d done.

He gasped softly, covering his mouth. He’d had sex with Diego while he was unaware, his wolf in control. Diego would be so confused in the morning. And so pissed off. A wave of shame and embarrassment and regret hit Jamie so hard he had to hide his face in the pillow. How could he have done it? Given into his desires so easily? He’d know what he was doing. There had been many points where he could have gone back, but he let himself get to the point of no return, where he himself lost control. And tomorrow, Diego would hate him.

Jamie tried to get off the bed, to at least go to the living room, out of range of Diego’s initial wrath, but he was too tired. Despite the turmoil inside him, sleep was pulling him under. He was exhausted, body and mind. He kept telling himself he’d get up now, go to the couch now, lay down away from Diego now...

But he ended up falling asleep next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can now read the next chapter of Bay Street! Just click the link below.  
> Plus, tons of original stories! The latest one: a story about two mermaid tribes that, after centuries of war, finally end it by introducing a coupling programme. Tam, a merman, pulls some strings to be paired with Drago, a Kraken who saved his life three years before. Unfortunately, Drago finds mermaids repulsive and isn't too happy about the match. 
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> If you don't have facebook, drop your email below and I'll send you the link xx


	25. The Morning After Disaster of Global Proportion

Diego sat up in bed so quickly he jostled the mattress and woke Jamie up.

‘’What...what the...’’

Diego’s astounded voice made Jamie go from who-the-fuck-dares-to-wake-the-beast to a stomach-dropping, nauseating nervousness. He remembered all that happened the night before. The movie. His stupid decision to unlock Diego’s chains. The shockingly amazing sex. The realisation of what had happened the night before hit Jamie with a heart-wrenching realisation that now was the time to face the consequences. Slowly, Jamie opened his eyes and pulled himself up onto a sitting position. His ass and hips ached like he’d been running away from serial killers for the better half of the last seventeen years. He tried not to wince but failed, and Diego caught the expression.

He was standing by the bed in just his boxers, staring around wildly, trying to find claw marks or signs of having forced himself into the room. When Jamie sat up, Diego looked at him and when he saw him wince, his whole body recoiled, ‘’Jamie...’’ Diego’s voice was so soft, so scared, that Jamie immediately felt guilty about the whole mess he created, no matter how good it had been the night before. He swiped blond locks from his eyes, giving Diego a nervous look that the wolf must have interpreted as fear, ‘’Jamie...what...what did I do...?’’

‘’W-well...’’ Jamie gripped the covers tightly between his fingers. God, what the fuck had he done?

Diego took a deep, slow breath. His hands fisted at his sides, ‘’did I hurt you?’’ he asked quietly and Jamie wondered if he’d imagined the quiver in his voice.

‘’No!’’ Jamie said quickly, desperately, ‘’Jesus, no, I...I _wanted_ it, it wasn’t like...’’ Jamie shoved back the covers and scrambled out of bed, glad he’d taken the liberty of wrestling both of them back into their underwear the night before. He stood on the other side of the bed, unsure if he should approach Diego, ‘’it wasn’t like you forced me or anything. I said yes, I-‘’

Diego shook his head, ‘’you’re just a kid.’’

‘’No-‘’

Diego’s eyes fell on the mattress. Jamie had never seen someone go from honey-gold to paper-white in such a quick time. Diego took a step back from the bed, ‘’oh, Jesus Christ....’’

Jamie glanced at the bed too and realised his mistake. He had thrown back the covers and now a couple speckles of blood were visible on the white sheets. Jamie grabbed the covers and tossed them over the spots, ‘’look, it’s not like that-‘’

‘’I _did_ hurt you-‘’

‘’No!’’ Jamie ran around the bed and to Diego, ‘’no, it didn’t hurt, Diego. I’m serious, it didn’t! It was just my first time-‘’

It was the wrong thing to say. Diego looked like he was going to have a full blown panic attack. Jamie knew there was no tip toeing around the matter anymore. He marched up to Diego, grabbed his face with both hands and forced his mate to look at him, ‘’Diego,’’ he said, voice firm, and Diego’s brown eyes concentrated on Jamie’s blue, ‘’I liked it, okay? I. Liked. It. Stop freaking out. You didn’t force yourself on me and you didn’t scare me.’’

Diego forced himself to slow his breathing. He searched Jamie’s eyes for the lie, but it wasn’t there.

But then something changed.

Diego frowned, his dark brows drawing together slowly, ‘’the chains...’’ he said, thoughtfully, like he was still working it out, ‘’I’ve had them for years. They’ve never snapped...’’ he took a step back and Jamie could practically see the cogs whirring in his head, ‘’how...how did I...’’ his hand fluttered to his chest automatically, to grasp the key that wasn’t there. Diego blinked, surprised.

And then a terrible, cold look flood his eyes. He looked sharply at Jamie, who could do nothing but stand there, ‘’what did you do, Jamie?’’ Diego asked in a cold voice that made Jamie flinch.

‘’I just...’’ Jamie knew there was no point lying but he wanted to lessen the blow, in any way that he could, ‘’you were...the way you were looking at me...’’

‘’With gold eyes,’’ Diego barked and took a step towards Jamie. The blond backed away till his back hit the wall and Diego loomed over him. Now, for the first time in a while, Jamie was afraid – of the wrath that bubbled beneath Diego’s skin and the things the wolf could do to make Jamie regret the previous evening, ‘’those weren’t _my_ eyes, Jamie.’’

‘’Your wolf is a part of you-‘’

‘’Do _not_ ,’’ Diego thundered, slamming his fist above Jamie’s head, caging him in. Jamie flinched, ‘’presume to tell me about my wolf. You don’t understand _any_ of this!’’

Jamie felt his defensiveness come bubbling up as a response to his mate’s anger. He glared at him, even though all he wanted was to curl under the bed and burst into tears, ‘’you wanted this!’’ he snapped, ‘’you were always chatting shit about being mates and watching me and touching me and talking to me like...’’ Jamie’s voice cracked and suddenly he was five again, yelling at the social workers that his mom loved him, no matter the shit she pulled, ‘’like you cared...’’

Diego finally registered Jamie’s fearful stance, the weariness in his eyes, and stood down. His arm slackened, his shoulders slumped and, worst of all, his eyes went sad. Disappointed, ‘’I do care,’’ he said, ‘’that’s why I never wanted it to happen like this. I didn’t want to rush it. I didn’t want it to happen on a whim. This...this wasn’t meant to be just a hook up.’’

‘’It wasn’t-‘’

‘’But it was,’’ Diego said and Jamie felt his heart drop to his stomach, ‘’I don’t remember it and you did it in the heat of the moment,’’ Diego took a step back and, as intimidating as he was, Jamie desperately wanted him back in his personal space. Something had changed between them the night before but Jamie was the only one who remembered. Diego shook his head, ‘’you’re only seventeen. I’m a grown man. This...this wasn’t right.’’

Jamie put his arms protectively around himself. There it was. Rejection. From the one person he thought would never reject him, no matter what, ‘’I didn’t mean for it to happen like that,’’ Jamie whispered.

‘’It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t unlocked the chains,’’ Diego snapped. He started going round his room, collecting clothes, ‘’what you did was wrong. I was not in control of myself. It could have gone horribly wrong. I could have hurt you. I _did_ hurt you-‘’

‘’You didn’t hurt me!’’ Jamie yelled, not able to bear it anymore.

‘’There’s blood on the covers!’’ Diego yelled back, patience snapping.

‘’It’s normal!’’

‘’Its not!’’ Diego snatched his shirt from the floor. When he straightened, his eyes were blazing and his teeth were clenched. He turned on his heel and stomped for the doors.

‘’Where are you going?’’ Jamie called after him, harsh, confrontational. He wanted a fight, if that was what it would take to resolve it. That’s how everything got resolved in his world. A fight, verbal or otherwise.

But Diego just barked, without looking at him, ‘’work,’’ and left, slamming the doors shut.

A moment later the front door slammed shut, too, and Jamie realised that Diego would rather walk from the house to the car in his underwear and get changed there than stay another second under the same roof as Jamie.

That thought was so crushing that suddenly Jamie’s legs felt weak. He slid down the wall and sat on the floor, staring numbly ahead. Finally he’d opened up to someone that wasn’t a friend. He’d finally decided to give something back, not just take from Diego. To...try, and make this work, as much as Diego tried. But in the end, Jamie was a walking disaster. After years of trying and making his mom happy, she killed herself. He’d promised himself he’d never try that hard again, hadn’t he? It was a long way to fall. And yet here he was again, throwing himself into trying to make his first relationship work, in the only way he knew how – with uncertainty and anger and defiance and conflict. And now he was falling again.

For a couple of hours, Jamie just sat there in his underwear, fighting tears. He kept telling himself not to cry but it was hard. A part of him hoped to hear Diego’s car pull up. Hoped Diego would come back in and sit opposite him on the floor and take his hand or do some other stupid, pointlessly romantic tiny gesture that made Jamie’s heart pound. But Diego didn’t come and Jamie was finally left with the knowledge that he had fucked up his only chance at complete happiness. That he’d hurt Diego. That he’d made him do the one thing he’d been trying not to since he met Jamie. Jamie couldn’t even begin to imagine how wrecked Diego felt.

After a couple of hours, his mind went into shut down. The emotions of guilt, sadness, pain, heartbreak...they all locked themselves away and the old Jamie – the pre-last building on Bay Street Jamie – emerged. His friends had helped mould him, helped him control his anger, helped him express his emotions and affection. Now, it was like he forgot all that. A part of him knew it’d come back but in that moment he was a scared, angry, self-loathing twelve year old with a hole the size of his first punched through his heart.

Jamie picked himself up from the floor. His rear still ached and his legs had gone numb. He found his clothes where Diego had washed and then folded them in the wardrobe. He dressed in the first thing he found and pulled the rest out. He dug his duffel from under the bed, shoved the clothes inside and went into the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water and just enough food to get him through the next few days. He didn’t want to take from Diego, not again, not ever.

Jamie hesitated when he saw Diego’s couch. Maybe he should wait, talk it out. They were mates, after-all.

But then he remembered that cold, dead look in Diego’s eyes, that look of sadness and disappointment, and felt his heart clench so painfully it was hard to breathe. Jamie never wanted Diego to look at him like that again. And the fear and sadness and guilt that came with the memories, pushed Jamie’s feelings out again, leaving space only for survival instincts and cold, hard determination.

He grabbed his jacket, slung his bag over his shoulder and left the house.

*~*~*

It was the most perfect Christmas of Gus’ life.

He barely set foot in the last building on Bay Street, instead soaking up as much of Alex as he could. It was like living in a fairytale. Even though the thought of Alex’s departure weighed heavily on the back of Gus’ mind, it couldn’t penetrate the perfect Christmas bubble the two of them lived in for three days straight. Gus woke up every morning in Alex’s warm embrace in his hotel room, head rested on the soldier’s bare chest. He stroked Alex’s arms and stomach and pressed kisses to his neck until he woke up. Sometimes it was Alex who woke up first and he roused his mate by kissing his hair and forehead, murmuring sweet nothings into his ear or just pulling him into a bone-crushing embrace.

Breakfast was a cluster of food served on one plate that they ate in bed, covered with blankets. It was strawberries and buttered toast and croissants that they picked at with their fingers, crunchy bacon and uneven pancakes and coffee drunk from the same mug while sunlight filtered in through the slanted window.

The rest of the day was bliss.

It wasn’t like Gus and Alex had to be around each other all the time. Sometimes Gus went back home and studied for a little bit. Often he brought his books back and Alex helped him out with areas he didn’t understand. Alex went to the gym and grocery store, sometimes with Gus but often alone while Gus prepared dinner or made a nap. They were always back together in the afternoon for dinner and movies and cuddles and often-time sex. And they always fell asleep in each other’s arms, comforted by the thought that the next morning, they’d still be together.

Gus desperately wished it could last forever.

*~*~*

Working at Ellie’s prestige company had transformed Val. She seemed more easy going, more cheerful. Her shoulders were less hunched and she didn’t walk like she was looking for a fight anymore. Previously uncomfortable in it, now she wore her blazer with pride. She made sure to brush her hair and forced Raphael to iron her shirts and even bought a pair of smart, cheap shoes. One day Ellie caught her coming out of the company. She matched her steps to Val’s, who now walked confidently and with a spring to her step, ‘’I heard you got your first matching opportunity today?’’

Val’s step hesitated with surprise when Ellie popped up but then a smile bloomed on her face. She put her hands in her pockets casually, ‘’yup,’’ she said and Ellie picked up on the tinge of pride in her voice. Val raised a dark eyebrow, ‘’did you pull strings to get me the chance?’’

‘’I told you I wouldn’t do that,’’ Ellie said pointedly, ‘’the team was just interested in your skills,’’ a small smile played on her red-painted lips, ‘’and I hear it went well.’’

‘’I got a meet up organised,’’ Val said.

The Winter dating company was a traditional one. People matched were allowed to speak for a period of one week over text and phone calls before a meeting was set up for them in a friendly, safe environment. After that, if they liked each other, they continued on independently, ‘’and they begged us to organise a date within three days. That’s...’’ Ellie nodded, impressed, ‘’that’s rather good. We rarely get such a situation.’’

Val shrugged, ‘’they just seemed like they’d be a good match, from their dating history and profiles,’’ she wasn’t trying to be modest – for her it was just common sense, like picking opponents. When she got the choice of whom to fight, she went by physique, previous history with fighters, wins, loses, style of fighting... it was nearly the same with love. You had to evaluate the compatibility of everything.

‘’I’ve assigned you to one of the teams,’’ Ellie said, ‘’considering your success, I reckon you’ll be a good addition.’’

Val’s face lit up and Ellie noticed how stunningly beautiful she was when she wasn’t in ‘kill or be killed’ mode, ‘’seriously!?’’ she jumped in the air and gave an excited whoop. 

‘’This isn’t a certain position. You need to prove yourself and your ability to step back and learn,’’ Ellie said sternly, but then smiled, ‘’celebratory coffee?’’

Val grinned, ‘’always,’’ she skipped ahead towards the parking lot where Ellie’s car sat. Ellie couldn’t help smiling at Val’s easy going mood. She was glad she’d given her mate a shot at a future involving more than broken noses and runs from the cops.

Suddenly, Val turned around. Her eyes blazed with a determined fire as she gave Ellie a devilish grin, ‘’don’t worry, boss. I won’t let you down.’’

*~*~*

‘’You. Can’t. Fight,’’ Fritz said though gritted teeth, hitting Raphael’s outstretched hands with each word. They were training out in the fields behind Bay Street for the upcoming fight with Ellie’s sister and her pack. It was cold and Fritz’s breath was coming out in white puffs. Before, he would have broken Raphael’s wrists. Now, as a wolf, Raphael easily took the hits, letting Fritz train his arm strength.

‘’I want to,’’ Raphael said, ‘’the more people Ellie has, the better.’’

‘’You could get hurt,’’ Fritz panted. They’d already ran for an hour straight, did hand-to-hand combat and some basic army drills. A human wouldn’t even be able to stand up now. Fritz was merely out of breath, ‘’I won’t let you put yourself in danger.’’

‘’I won’t be in danger. We’ll protect each other.’’

‘’You’re not part of Ellie’s pack.’’

‘’But I’m your mate.’’

‘’You can’t fight.’’

‘’You’re allowed to fight, even though I’m stronger than you,’’ Raphael pointed out and Fritz stopped. He took a step back and wiped his  chin on his wrist, glaring.

‘’Don’t bring up the fact that I’m an omega,’’ he snapped, ‘’it doesn’t have anything to do with my strength and ability to fight.’’

Raphael looked at him calmly, ‘’I never said it did. I’m just stating facts. I _am_ stronger than you,’’ his tone softened, ‘’I want to be useful. I want to fight, if you’re fighting.’’

‘’Whatever,’’ Fritz grabbed his coat from the frosty grass and shrugged it on. The training session was clearly over, ‘’take it up with Ellie.’’

Raphael jogged over to him and took his hand, ‘’don’t be mad.’’

Fritz snatched his hand out of Raphael’s grip, ‘’I don’t like being looked down on,’’ he growled.

‘’I wasn’t!’’

‘’You were.’’

Raphael hesitated and then sighed, ‘’I didn’t mean to,’’ he offered. He turned, standing in front of Fritz, blocking his path, ‘’I want you to be safe, okay? I’ll gladly put myself in danger if it means I can protect you a little bit. And I’m not afraid of this fight because I know you’ll have my back when the time comes.’’

Fritz still looked grumpy. He was looking away, at the frozen blades of grass. Finally, in his smokey, raspy voice he grumbled, ‘’I have your back all the time.’’

Raphael grinned, ‘’which is why I can be a strong, fearless werewolf, like I am,’’ he teased and Fritz rolled his eyes. He extended his hand, mock-reluctantly, and Raphael slapped his palm. Then Raphael threw his arm around Fritz’s shoulders, ‘’I’m starving. Let’s eat.’’

‘’Kay,’’ Fritz said quietly, slipping his arm around Raphael’s waist.

They walked off, huddled together and Fritz couldn’t help but feel a little relieved that he would have Raphael by his side when the time to fight came.

*~*~*

Mickey was busting his ass, as always.

Gideon hadn’t exactly meant to stand and watch him for hours on end. Well, he was aware that he was following Mickey’s scent when he left his apartment. So maybe he had meant it. These days, he felt the absence of his mate like the absence of a vital organ. Now, for the third hour, he found himself on a balcony. The balcony connected to a stranger’s apartment but Gideon didn’t care about getting caught. He leaned on the rail, admiring Mickey who was busking below. No matter the cold and his tiredness, Mickey remained smiling and rosy-cheeked from the cold wind. Gideon wanted to march up to him, wrap his own scarf round his freckly neck, pull his arms around his waist and kiss his mate.

But he was once again reminded of how badly he’d fucked up.

‘’Wow, Gideon,’’ said an unimpressed voice from behind him, ‘’are you going to join Jed’s and Diego’s little stare-and-stalk club?’’

Gideon, with some difficult, pulled his eyes away from Mickey and turned to his alpha, ‘’what are you, batman?’’ he raised an eyebrow, ‘’you should make some noise when you appear, Ellie.’’

‘’I did,’’ Ellie shrugged, ‘’you were just too lost in Buster to notice.’’

Gideon felt his ears heat, ‘’whatever. I’m here by accident.’’

Now Ellie rolled her eyes, ‘’sure you are,’’ she leaned on the rail and watched Mickey for a little while, ‘’you should talk to him.’’

‘’No,’’ Gideon said quickly, ‘’he made it clear that he doesn’t want to.’’

‘’Does he know what you did for his aunt?’’ Ellie asked casually.

‘’...probably.’’

‘’Then maybe his stance has changed. Maybe now he sees that you’re not all bad,’’ there was a hint of a tease in her voice.

Gideon shook his head and looked guiltily at his feet, ‘’I can’t just appear in front of him. I can’t do it to him. He’s finally getting his life together after I ruined it.’’

‘’You’re exaggerating,’’ Ellie said, turning to him, ‘’fine. Don’t ‘just appear’ in front of him. Speak to him at my New Year’s Party. He’s invited and he knows _all_ my wolves will be there. If he comes then that means he at least consents to seeing you, being in the same room.’’

Gideon licked his lips nervously, ‘’and if he doesn’t come?’’

‘’Then I guess you have nothing to worry about.’’

Gideon looked at Ellie wearily but finally nodded. Then he grabbed the edge of the rail and swung himself over, falling two storeys and landing in a neat crouch. He walked off and Ellie snorted softly, ‘’show off.’’

*~*~*

‘’Ah. You again,’’ Carolyn smiled warmly as Gideon walked into her hospital room with a bouquet.

‘’How are you?’’ he asked, replacing the wilting flowers in the vase from his visit two days ago with the fresh ones.

‘’Feeling good. Better,’’ Carolyn smiled, ‘’this place is very comfortable.’’

‘’I’m glad,’’ Gideon sat down on the edge of the wooden visitor’s chair, lacing his fingers together in his lap.

Carolyn studied him. Even though Gideon didn’t reveal much about himself, they’d grown close during the short duration of his visits, ‘’you should stop hating yourself,’’ Carolyn said gently.

Gideon gave her a miserable smile, ‘’you can’t say that. I hurt a member of your family.’’

‘’Yes,’’ Carolyn acknowledged, ‘’but you’ve shown remorse and you’ve made up for it. Stop being so hard on yourself.’’

‘’I’m not being hard on myself,’’ Gideon said, averting his gaze.

He was surprised when he felt Carolyn’s hand slip into his own and squeeze. Her fingers were cool; Gideon’s mother’s fingers had been warm and calloused but despite that, Gideon was grateful for the bit of maternal affection. He hadn’t seen his family in a while, ‘’just...talk to him. When you get the chance,’’ Carolyn said gently, ‘’chances are he wants to speak to you, too.’’

Gideon smiled, ‘’...maybe I really should.’’

Carolyn brightened up at the sight of his smile, ‘’what is it?’’

‘’Nothing,’’ Gideon shook his head, ‘’you just remind me of my alpha.’’

They smiled at each other and fell into easy conversation, as they usually did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed that!   
> If you want to support me on my you know what (I'd be super grateful if you did) and gain access to the next two chapters of Bay Street, the last two chapters of Lirim plus tons of stories & artwork, check out my facebook page or drop your email in the comments xx
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> As always, thank you for your support!


	26. Happy New Year and Also, Go Fuck Yourself

At eight thirty pm on New Year’s Eve, the whole Bay Street gang landed in Ellie’s apartment, where she was hosting a party for her pack. Ellie had invited them weeks prior and all of them accepted – because of their mates, inability to refuse free booze or the fact that from tonight until the end of reparations, they were barred from the building that was the centre of their world. Half of them low-key expected something fancy and proper, like Ellie seemed to be – maybe a dinner with red wine and thick napkins. Instead, it looked rather...chill.

Ellie had dragged her coffee table to the corner and it was loaded with every alcohol imaginable from champagne to prosecco to 40% vodka. There were mixers somewhere between the bottles but not nearly enough – it looked like half the guests would be getting smashes tonight. The party was strictly for pack – and for mates – which made it intimate and relaxed. Fritz’s sub-pack was lounging around, eating and wrestling on the couch. Dom was sitting on one of the armchairs, smoking weed. The lights were dimmed down and music blasted from a speaker. Gideon sat atop it, shuffling through the playlist. He was flipping so much no song got to play from start to finish. He kept glancing at the doors, pretending he wasn’t waiting for Buster to enter. When the human pack did walk in, he quickly looked away and glued his eyes to his phone, but not before he glimpsed Buster amongst the throng. His heart beat sped up. He’d come. Buster had come... panic made his heart drop to his stomach. He gripped Ellie’s i-pod for dear life. What the _hell_ was he supposed to say to the boy whose life he’d ruined?

The ‘human’ pack split up, going to greet people, talk, grab alcohol...the room became lively, awake.

And the party began.

*~*~*

**8:30 pm; 3 & a half hours until midnight **

‘’Here you go,’’ Alex slipped a mug of hot wine into Gus’ numb hands. He and his friends had walked all the way from the last building on Bay Street – for the last time before it shut down for months to come – and they were all half-frozen by the time they got to Ellie’s place. The party was quickly becoming wild. Fritz’s kids had challenged Val to a drinking contest. Some of the younger ones were doing wild dancing in the middle of the room. Conversing groups fanned out all around the ‘dance floor’. Dom stood by the TV, arms in the air, swaying, high off his head. Gus made a mental note to introduce him to DeeDee as he curled up on the couch. It had been pushed to the edge of the room making it a quiet, intimate spot.

Alex found him within ten seconds, hot wine in hand. Gus gave him a grateful smile, ‘’thank you,’’ he said, tilting his head up. Alex pressed a little, fond kiss to his lips, ‘’and hi.’’

‘’Hi,’’ Alex sat down next to Gus. He was wearing a soft-looking white jumper and pale-blue ripped jeans tucked over fluffy socks. He looked like an angel, what with his gold hair and dazzling smile, and Gus still couldn’t quite believe that he was all his.

Gus took a big gulp of the wine and it warmed him up instantly, travelling all the way to his toes. Alex reached out and brushed a bead of red wine off Gus’ lower lip, ‘’don’t burn yourself,’’ he murmured distractedly. Gus was used to constant and casual protection and care from his friends. He was one of the younger, gentler people at Bay Street and his friends were like a pack of lionesses protecting their cub. Gus had learned that he will never have such natural and profound care and love from anyone else but yet here was Alex, giving him that same feeling of security and happiness that his pack did, after only a short time of knowing each other.

Gus extended the cup to Alex and curled up against his side like a cat while his mate drank. When the mug was passed back, Gus cradled it between his chilled fingers. He wasn’t much of a party animal – at the Crypt, he sat nestled under the counter, protected from the buzz and wildness of it. He preferred a movie night to drinking. And now, warm and happy and slowly filled with mulled wine, his eyelids were growing heavy.

Alex sensed his sleepiness straightaway. He chuckled, a sound as warm and intoxicating as the wine, ‘’are you going to sleep?’’

‘’Mmmmh, I might,’’ Gus nuzzled his cheek into Alex’s shoulder, ‘’bit sleepy...’’

He wondered if Alex would scoop him up and pull him to the dance-floor. The thought of moving from what was, in that moment, the most comfortable place on earth made Gus’ bones ache. But Alex just threaded his hand through Gus’ brown locks and kissed his forehead, ‘’I’ll wake you for the fireworks.’’

*~*~*

**9pm; 3 hours until midnight**

Gideon flittered around the room, feeling like a stalker. He was pulled into conversations and dances and drinking, but he always kept an eye on Mickey. His mate knew Gideon was there – he could probably sense him as acutely as Gideon could. And yet not once did their eyes meet; Mickey didn’t come within ten feet of Gideon and Gideon couldn’t blame him. After the bite and everything he said after...

But even with his growing panic and worry, Gideon could barely stop himself from approaching his mate. They hadn’t been in the same room for ages and just Mickey’s scent, trapped in the confines of Ellie’s condo, was driving Gideon insane. He wanted to bury his nose in Mickey’s brown hair, to kiss his freckled cheek and beg for forgiveness. Instead, he went to the drink’s table, which was quickly becoming ransacked, and snatched the first thing his hand landed on. Russian Standard. Gideon uncapped it and poured himself a generous amount. Before he even finished, a bright orange stream joined the one falling from the vodka bottle. He glanced up to find Jed standing in front of him, pouring the orange juice into Gideon’s cup, ‘’no matter how miserable you are,’’ he said casually, ‘’it’s not worth chugging straight vodka.’’

Gideon rolled his eyes but was secretly grateful that there was someone around to stop him from drinking himself half to death before embarrassing himself horribly in front of everyone. He drank, cringing at the strong vodka taste. He glanced at Jed, who was pouring himself a drink, too. Gideon was, for all his good looks and modelling careers, an introvert. The only one he hung around was Ellie – he hadn’t had much time to bond with the others, especially since he skipped out on the pack run to avoid Mickey. Usually Jed looked the most unapproachable out of everyone. There was a silent power that he kept hidden under his casual, intelligent demeanour. He always wore a suit; hair slicked back, his blue eyes so eerily bright it felt like he was reading your mind. But today he was in a black t-shirt, jeans and trainers, his hair loose and tumbling into his eyes. It made him look ten years younger. Gideon guessed Jed deliberately dressed to look older than he was. He was barely twenty six and kids hardly looked at people under thirty as a source of authority.

Still, like this, Jed looked easy to talk to.

‘’Mickey is here,’’ Gideon said because he had to get it out and Ellie was all the way across the room, speaking to Val over glasses of champagne.

‘’So I’ve noticed,’’ Jed said in a calm, almost soothing voice. The music – now controlled by sixteen year old Graham – was loud but somehow Jed’s voice was still clearly audible. He spoke in a manner that prompted gently without feeling intrusive – it made Gideon want to spill every last problem to him, an urge he never had.

That made him amused. He smiled around his cup, ‘’you should be a psychiatrist.’’

Jed smiled, too. They were both looking out onto the room and Gideon half-consciously marked Mickey where he was chatting with Art. He glanced at Jed and found the man looking in the same direction, ‘’so I’ve been told.’’

‘’You should go talk to him,’’ Gideon said, noticing how Jed’s blue gaze lingered on Art.

Gideon expected Jed to reflect the question, but instead the wolf sighed heavily, ‘’I pissed him off.’’

‘’That makes two of us,’’ Gideon said miserably, downing the rest of his drink and going to pour himself another. The burn of the vodka gave him something other than Mickey to think about.

Jed took the vodka out of his hands and filled his cup with wine instead, ‘’pace yourself,’’ Jed said with the kind of amused look you might receive from your older brother, ‘’and talk to Mickey.’’

‘’I can’t,’’ Gideon was surprised by how chocked his voice sounded.

‘’You can,’’ Jed replied, ‘’you’ve waited long enough for him to sort out his feelings,’’ he smiled and there was something sad about it, ‘’if I tried talking to Art right now, I’d probably get my teeth knocked in. Although after a couple more of these,’’ he held up his glass, ‘’I’ll probably talk to him anyway.’’

Gideon glanced at him from under long lashes, ‘’so...what are you saying?’’

‘’I’m saying that these conversations,’’ Jed gestured between them with his cup, ‘’should probably happen before we get too drunk.’’

That made Gideon smile a little. Somehow knowing Jed had his back gave him a kick of courage. He glanced towards where Mickey had stood to find that he was now pulling Art towards the makeshift dance-floor. The song had changed and this was clearly one of their favourites. In seconds, they had the dance-floor dominated. Art was an expert dancer – the way he moved his hips was downright simple and every inch of his seemed to move with the music, like water. Gideon knew Jed was taking in every movement Art made. But Gideon couldn’t look away from Mickey. He was no dancer compared to Art, but his movement were easy and unbothered, and he was grinning and singing along and Gideon hadn’t seen him happy in so long that his heart contracted.

When the song was over, he took a deep breath, ‘’I’ll go first,’’ he told Jed and went to gulp down his wine, hesitated, and put his cup down. He couldn’t make himself braver with alcohol. He had to do this by himself.

He found himself in front of Mickey when Art pulled him off the dance-floor to go scavenge for snacks. It was like slow-motion. Mickey bumped into Gideon’s chest, reeled back, looked up...his brown eyes displayed confusion for a moment, then recognition. Gideon waited for the weariness, the fear and the hate, but instead Mickey just blinked, surprised, ‘’Gideon,’’ he said and the wolf nearly melted at the sound of his name on Mickey’s lips.

‘’We need to talk,’’ Gideon said and mentally kicked himself. Why did he always sound so hard? Why couldn’t he speak softly to Mickey? Why couldn’t the gentle and tender way Gideon felt about him ever translate into words?

He half expected Mickey to decline but he just gave Art a nod. His friend glanced between him and Gideon, gave Mickey a meaningful look and sauntered off by himself. Mickey was already half-way to the doors leading to the corridor. Gideon followed him and when the doors to the main space of the condo closed behind them, the sudden quiet was astounding. The music was still there, pounding through the walls, but here, in the corridor, the two of them were alone. Gideon didn’t think he’d ever be alone with Mickey again. The last time they spoke, Mickey had wanted to shred his face with a floorboard.

But now Mickey seemed calm. Not angry at all.

Gideon felt his throat go dry even after the drinks he’d had, ‘’you look well,’’ he said and his voice came out quiet, almost frightened.

‘’I am,’’ Mickey confirmed and Gideon was relieved. If nothing else, at least Mickey wasn’t suffering because of the bite anymore.

Gideon steeled himself. This was probably his last chance to apologise and he had to make it right. He took a deep breath.

And that’s when Mickey said, ‘’thank you.’’

The breath whooshed out of Gideon’s mouth in surprise, ‘’pardon?’’

‘’Thank you,’’ Mickey said simply and Gideon realised that his mate was going to say that all night. He’d just been waiting for Gideon to come to him.

‘’For what?’’ Gideon’s voice cracked a little. He didn’t deserve Mickey’s gratitude.

‘’For my aunt. Carolyn,’’ Mickey smiled a little and Gideon’s whole world lit up, ‘’I wouldn’t have managed to supply her meds for much longer. The doctor that visited sometimes wasn’t enough. Thanks to you, she now has a real shot at getting better.’’

Gideon swallowed thickly, ‘’I didn’t do it to bribe you.’’

‘’I know,’’ Mickey said softly, ‘’you don’t let her tell me that you visit her. I always ask who the flowers are from and she says it’s the nurses, but I always pick up on your scent. You wouldn’t even tell her that it was you who pays her fees; she had to find out by herself.’’

For a long while, they were silent. Mickey leaned against the wall, folded his hands at the small of his back. Finally, Mickey said, ‘’you hurt me.’’

It was like a punch to the stomach, even though it was true, ‘’I know,’’ Gideon whispered miserably. He couldn’t even look Mickey in the eyes. He’d never felt so ashamed in his life.

‘’I’ve been hurt a lot,’’ Mickey said this matter-of-factly and it made Gideon’s heart ache, ‘’by lots of different people. I don’t hold grudges. If I did, I’d never have anything else to think about but vengeance. I’d be a miserable sod,’’ he smiled and Gideon glanced at him shyly, ‘’I’m not angry with you anymore, Gideon. I did stuff to you, too. I nicked your wallet. I said a lot of shitty things. Mine aren’t as bad as yours, but I’m not entirely innocent,’’ now it was Mickey who looked away. A blush rose high on his cheekbones, ‘’you apologised. And you made it up to me. So I’m not mad at your anymore.’’

Gideon let out his breath, slowly, shakily, stabilising himself. His voice was still weak as he murmured, ‘’glad to hear it.’’

Mickey pushed himself off the wall and approached his mate. Gideon never imagined that Mickey would want to touch him willingly but just like that, his mate reached out and took his hand, holding it loosely between them. He gave his fingers a gentle squeeze, ‘’want to try being friends?’’

It took everything Gideon had to stay standing. He couldn’t find his voice; he could only nod, ‘’okay,’’ Mickey said with a happy grin, ‘’let’s go drink something before you faint.’’

*~*~*

**9:45 pm; 2 hours & fifteen minutes until midnight**

It had been a couple days since Diego woke up with a naked Jamie on a bloodied mattress. He hadn’t seen Jamie since. When he got back, late at night, he wasn’t surprised to find Jamie gone. Usually, he’d go fetch him, but he knew they both needed a couple of days to cool off. All throughout the first day, Diego had been seething mad at Jamie. He made a couple more-aggressive-than-necessary arrests and sprinted fifty blocks after a drug dealer, which his co-workers commended as ‘wildly unnecessary but really cool to watch’. He channelled his anger into his work and by the time he stumbled out of a bar, slightly tipsy, and was deposited at home by his cop friends, the anger was gone. He collapsed in bed feeling empty.

The next morning he woke feeling guilty. He knew he’d been unfair on Jamie. He’d been so adamant about control, about making sure he didn’t hurt Jamie, about keeping their relationship appropriate and casual that he hadn’t even thought about what Jamie might want. He’d treated Jamie like a child, when he’d been through twice as many things as Diego had. He’d been with social services; his mom killed herself. He’d been on the streets. He ran a whole club practically by himself – he was smart enough to handle a weed business and do all the financial stuff around the last building on Bay Street. He drank and smoked. He had tattoos. He was an old soul and yet Diego had ignored all that, reducing him to nothing more than an inexperienced seventeen year old.

And then, of course, he’d made him feel ashamed for wanting something, for once. Diego couldn’t blame anyone for giving into sex when your mate was constantly there, constantly close and wanting, and showing it so strongly during full moons. Diego had never imagined that Jamie would actually want him. That thought hadn’t registered – the knowledge that Jamie had _wanted_ him – until that second morning.

It took all Diego had not to run and get him, but he figured that since Jamie hadn’t come back, he needed more time. So he sat at home, cured his hangover, and decided that he’d beg Jamie for forgiveness at Ellie’s new year’s party.

Except Jamie wasn’t there.

As soon as Diego walked into the party, low-key late, he knew Jamie wasn’t there. His scent didn’t come to Diego as it usually did. He circled the room anyway, saying distracted hellos to people greeting him with enthusiasm and declining drinks. He finally came upon Raphael, ‘’hey,’’ he said, ‘’have you seen Jamie?’’

Raphael blinked, surprised, ‘’wasn’t he coming with you?’’

Diego was already moving on. He found Art and grabbed his arm, maybe a little stronger than necessary, ‘’where’s Jamie?’’

Art scowled at him, a little tipsy, ‘’how should I know? Thanks to your plan, he can barely speak to me.’’

Diego moved on to Ellie. She was the alpha. She’d know. His heart was starting to thunder with unease, ‘’Ellie,’’ he said, feeling slightly sick, ‘’do you know where Jamie is?’’

Ellie looked confused, ‘’you live together. I assumed...’’

Val appeared at her side, ‘’oh, Diego,’’ she said, smiling, ‘’where’s Jamie?’’

Diego paled, feeling like he was going to throw up, ‘’that’s what I want to know.’’

Val blanched, ‘’what?’’

‘’I thought he was at the building...?’’

Val shook her head, ‘’it’s getting closed tomorrow, first thing in the morning. We’ve all cleared out. He hasn’t been there in a couple of days...’’ she looked mildly horrified, ‘’you _do_ know where he is, right?’’

‘’Yeah, vaguely,’’ Diego lied, already backing away, ‘’I’ll go find him.’’

Ellie didn’t look convinced, ‘’Diego-‘’

‘’I’ll call you when we get back home,’’ Diego said quickly. He’d wasted days already. Jamie could be out of the country for all he knew. Diego had taken his home atop the Bay Street building and then practically kicked him out of his. Thanks to him, Jamie was with nowhere to go for the _nth_ time in his life. It was Diego’s fault.

But he wouldn’t stop until he found Jamie.

*~*~*

**10:35 pm; 1 hour and 25 minutes until midnight**

After nine thirty, everything became a bit blurry. Art wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing most of the time. He danced a lot, chatted shit with people, drank...god, he drank _a lot_. At one point he was pretty sure Ellie took his glass and gave him a cup of water instead. That helped, a little. He was making his way over to where Alex had sat all night, cuddling a sleeping Gus in his lap, fully intent on raining on their parade when a strong hand locked around his arm and pulled him. He found himself against one of the walls, outside the strobe lights. There was Jed, like the last time Art had seen him – all casual in a t-shirt and his hair un-styled, looking like a total heart throb.

Art gave him a glare, ‘’what do you want?’’ it would have sounded more threatening if he hadn’t hiccupped adorably at the end.

‘’To apologise.’’

‘’Fun,’’ Art said with another hiccup and tried to get around Jed to return to the party.

The wolf put both arms up against the wall, caging Art in. They were close and Jed was horrified at how much he wanted to lean down and kiss his student. This had happened once before and it ended in disaster. Jed needed to make that right and then he needed to back off, give Art his space, give him a chance to find someone he actually liked, someone his age who wasn’t his teacher...

‘’Art, listen to me,’’ Jed pleaded.

Art put his hands up childishly against his ears and shook his head, ‘’can’t hear you, can’t-‘’

Jed grabbed Art’s wrists and pulled his hands away from his ears, ‘’I’m an asshole, I know!’’ he said, a bit louder than necessary and Art finally quietened, giving him a resentful look, ‘’I shouldn’t have done...God, half the things I did the last time I saw you. And it’s not because there’s something wrong with you. But I’m your teacher, Art,’’ he sighed, ‘’I’m sorry. I’m sorry about all I said and...everything that happened between us that wasn’t...that was...’’

‘’Wrong?’’ Art interjected bitterly. He yanked his wrists out of Jed’s grip, ‘’we’re mates. We’re made for each other. But you’re so set on pretending like that’s not it that...’’ he was slurring his words a little and it was clearly hard to formulate his words so Art just shook his head, ‘’whatever. I don’t care anymore.’’

Jed gave him a sad look, ‘’we should establish some boundaries, as teacher and student...’’

Suddenly, Art was shoving him, hard, ‘’fuck your boundaries!’’ he yelled. The others didn’t hear, too busy dancing, but Jed looked startled, ‘’you say you don’t want anything to do with me!? Fine! I don’t care about your boundaries or that you’re my teacher or...or...I just don’t care about _you_ , okay!? Not anymore! So _fuck_ your boundaries! Don’t talk to me anymore. Don’t watch me dance. Don’t look at me, don’t think about me, just...leave me the _fuck_ alone!’’ and he stormed off towards the alcohol table.

He left Jed standing there, feeling confused and strangely...aching. His heart ached. Because, somehow, before, it hadn’t been over. But now it was. Art had put his foot down. And that look of pure hurt that Art gave him before he stormed off...

Suddenly Jed regretted everything he’d said.

***~*~***

**11:15 pm; 45 minutes until midnight**

‘’Shhhhh...’’ Raphael giggled drunkenly as Fritz danced into Ellie’s lavish marble bathroom and Raphael closed the doors behind them. It took him three tries to close the latch. Fritz extended his hand for the bottle of wine in Raphael’s hand and Raphael handed it over. They’d gotten drunk off wine – a feat for both of them. But it gave them a nice, rosy buzz that vodka and whiskey didn’t. Chuckling, Raphael spotted the bath tub standing in the middle of the bathroom. Suddenly feeling the need to sit down, he slid into it in his clothes, his chuckles turning into uncontrollable laughter.

‘’Me too, me too!’’ Fritz called, laughing. Raphael extended his arms out and Fritz stumbled, nearly falling over twice, over to him. He dropped the bottle of wine. It shattered but neither seemed to notice as Fritz toppled on top of Raphael in the bath tub. They giggled, so close their noses touched.

‘’Hey,’’ Raphael said tenderly, brushing a dreadlock that came loose from Fritz’s bun behind his ear.

‘’Hey,’’ Fritz replied in his smokey voice, closing the gap and kissing his mate. He sat up almost immediately, straddling Raphael in the tub. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and produced a tiny plastic bag. There were two pills inside.

Raphael raised his eyebrows. He’d never tried drugs. Addiction was the last thing he needed, ‘’what’s that?’’ he asked, his drunken mind trying to match the image to the name.

‘’Amphetamines. Lil’ bit of LSD,’’ he giggled, ‘’really good sex. Like, _really_ good,’’ Fritz tore open the little bags and explained, slurring, ‘’werewolves don’t get addicted to drugs. Alcohol, smoking yes...but you can get same buzz you get from drugs by...going on runs...and doing stuff when shifted...easy to recreate...’’ Fritz popped the pills out of the bag onto his hand and tossed the bag away, ‘’and really good sex...’’ he added, giggling.

He put one of the pills under his tongue and looked down on Raphael where he had slid down in the tub. He gave one slow thrust of his hips, brushing his ass against Raphael’s front beneath him. Raphael reached out, smiling, and caressed Fritz’s hip, ‘’workin’ already?’’

Fritz giggled again and extended the pill to Raphael. Raphael parted his lips and raised his tongue; Fritz put the pill there and Raphael leaned up briefly. They kissed clumsily, trying to keep the pills under their tongues and eventually dissolved into laughter, Raphael leaning back in the tub and Fritz lying down on top of him.

Fritz busied himself with kissing Raphael’s neck, slow and lazy, once his pill dissolved. They wrestled each other out of their clothes and then, when Fritz shifted, he felt Raphael underneath him, full and hard and throbbing through his underwear. Fritz wasted no time getting that off, ‘’hey...’’ Raphael protested when Fritz slid down, straddling his legs and leaning over his dick.

‘’I jus’ want...’’ Fritz mumbled before lowering his mouth over the head of Raphael’s cock. Raphael inhaled sharply. Fritz had never gone down on him before. He didn’t last long, not with Fritz’s hot mouth and tongue wrapped around him and the visual of his head bobbing up and down, his cheeks bright red. He came in Fritz’s mouth and Fritz swallowed every last drop, like it was his personal drug. In seconds, Raphael was hard again. He sat up in the tub and yanked Fritz forward before lowering him onto his erection. Fritz was so wet that Raphael slid into him easily and just like that, from that, Fritz came. His erection didn’t go down and Raphael started fucking him in earnest.

And that’s how they missed the fireworks, fucking each other’s brains out in the bath tub, clinging onto one another and giving each other new year’s kisses over and over again.

*~*~*

**00:00**

They were meant to set off some fireworks but with the amount of alcohol consumed by the party goers, that was deemed unsafe. Instead, those who survived until midnight crowded on Ellie’s balcony, holding sparklers and watching the fireworks explode across the sky.

Raphael and Fritz, oblivious to this, continued frolicking in the bathroom. Art stood as far away from Jed as he could, imagining shoving his sparkler up his ass with a grumpy expression. Diego hadn’t returned with Jamie. Strangely enough, Buster and Gideon stood next to each other, grinning at the fireworks and tracing patterns in the air with their sparklers. Val blamed the fact that she was leaning on Ellie, who had an arm around her, on the alcohol. They watched the fireworks, for once not having a care in the world. Dom stood behind everyone, a doped-out smile on his mouth, twirling a blunt between his fingers and mumbling, ‘’good year, good year...’’ Alex, true to his word, had woken Gus up. Now the little human was clinging to Alex’s back, where he was catching a piggy back ride. Over the top of Alex’s head, from the highest vantage point, he gasped at the beauty of the fireworks, while clinging to his mate’s neck. When the fireworks were over, he slid down and turned Alex and kissed him, ‘’happy New Year.’’

The rest of Fritz’s sub-pack hadn’t made it onto the balcony. Graham and Neta lay curled around fourteen year old Robbie on the couch, fast asleep. Sid was out, too, on the table by the speaker, the iPod still in his hand from when he had been changing the songs. Rosita sat under the alcohol table like a gremlin, happy to chug the rest of the Russian Standard.

Diego roamed the streets for Jamie.

And Jamie himself sat under a bridge somewhere, freezing his ass off. He had his duffel bag next to him and he wished he’d taken a blanket. The fireworks were nice to watch, but they couldn’t keep him warm. For days he had moved from one location to the next, not knowing what to do. The building on Bay Street was closed. He didn’t want to bother anyone for a place to sleep. He never wanted to bother anyone. He hadn’t wanted to bother Diego, but in the end, he had.

So he sat outside, for the third night in a row, watching the year come to a close, knowing the New Year wasn’t going to be very promising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ughhh I'm so annoyed one of my flatmates cleaned our kitchen really nicely but then she took pictures & sent this really entitled, aggressive message on the groupchat about how it needs to be kept clean from now on and that the 'usual culprits' have to stop being messy...like, girl, really? Most of us wash our dishes. No one cleans the floor and the clogged sink so it looks messier than it is. Also, no one made you clean it, so chill. 
> 
> Honestly, I just wanna move out of that house, the atmosphere is so toxic and uncomfortable. I got stuck with a really two-faced bunch. 
> 
> On a brighter note, merry christmas/happy holidays!   
> The next Bay Street update will be on the 26th of December so I'm wishing you all a well rested and fun holiday now :) I hope y'all enjoy reading this chapter. Thank you for all your support this year & and I hope it will continue into the next year ^_^ Lots of love xxx 
> 
> oh, ps, if you want the next chappie of Bay Street, the last two chappies of Lirim and lots of fanart, then check out the link on my facebook page <3 The newest short story is a post-apocalyptic lesbian romance set in an abandoned train in the middle of a nuclear winter landscape. What fun~
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> pps. if you don't have facebook, drop your email in the comments & I'll send you the link directly :)


	27. The Allocation Programme

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi kids! I hope y'all had a lovely Christmas/holiday!   
> I'm working on the next Pride & Prejudice & Dickheads and the next Sanctuary, but it might take a while. Please be patient with me!!!

Ellie’s condo was absolutely trashed and, mid-afternoon when she finally woke up, it seemed like everyone cleared out in time to avoid cleaning, claiming hangovers and work. Ellie walked through the livingroom in her loose t-shirt and sleeping shorts, rubbing her messy, un-brushed red hair and assessing the damage. There were crushed plastic cups and spilled liquids on the usually glossy floor; crisp crumbs, wrappers and haribos were strewn across the room; decorations somehow managed to migrate from the walls and windows to drape over couches and other furniture. Ellie yawned and stretched, preparing herself for a couple hours of cleaning. Coffee first, though. She ventured into her spotless modern kitchen and was surprised to find her mate still there.

Val sat on the stainless steel counter in a t-shirt and ripped jeans, drinking coffee from one of Ellie’s oversized white cups, staring into space, ‘’hey,’’ Ellie stifled another yawn, ‘’what are you doing here?’’

‘’Figured I’d help you clean,’’ Val took a big gulp of her coffee and swallowed with a satisfied smile, ‘’your coffee maker’s dope.’’

Ellie fixed herself a cup and pulled herself up on the counter next to Val. They drank in silence for a little while, Ellie waking up slowly, ‘’your building,’’ she said finally, ‘’it got shut down yesterday, right?’’

Val glanced at Ellie, ‘’how do you know?’’

‘’Buster mentioned it,’’ Ellie said, ‘’the pack house is mostly empty except for Fritz’s lot. I’ve arranged a room for him,’’ she looked at Val, ‘’where are you going to live?’’

Val shrugged, ‘’I’ll figure something out.’’

‘’It’d be dangerous to let you stay in a house full of werewolves, no matter how strong you are,’’ Ellie said suddenly, ‘’but you can stay here.’’

Val blinked, surprised, ‘’um...’’ Val gave a little startled laugh that made Ellie look at her again, ‘’I doubt I can afford this place.’’

Ellie rolled her eyes, surprised at the way her nerves tingled at the sound of Val’s laugh, ‘’free of charge, obviously,’’ Val gave her a look, ‘’what?’’

‘’I thought you weren’t going to make any shortcuts for me,’’ Val said.

‘’I won’t. Not at work,’’ Ellie angled her body towards her mate’s. Their knees touched, ‘’but this isn’t work. This is me making sure you’re safe and taken care of.’’

Val felt her cheeks heat; it thankfully didn’t show up on her dark chocolate skin. She looked down at her coffee, ‘’protecting your investment?’’

A finger snaked under her chin and lifted her head, ‘’you’re not my investment,’’ Ellie said quietly, looking sternly at Val.

The fighter laughed again, ‘’I know,’’ she said softly, ‘’I’m just teasing cause...I don’t know what to say.’’

Without really meaning to, the alpha leaned down and kissed Val’s forehead, ‘’don’t say anything,’’ she murmured as Val looked up at her, startled. Ellie quickly jumped off the counter, ‘’just come help me clean up this mess.’’

Relief at not having to worry about a place to sleep made Val exhale slowly. She smiled and jumped off, too, ‘’let’s get started.’’

*~*~*

Art spent the night curled up on Ellie’s couch and left first thing in the morning. He had a bad hangover and he was still irritated from his run in with Jed. He had no idea what the infuriating wolf wanted and, most importantly, what Art wanted himself was annoying and inconvenient and embarrassing. Art couldn’t believe that he’d actually considered chasing Jed. Pursuing their relationship. Acting on the fact that they were mates. _It was just for a brief, stupid moment_ Art told himself. It was over now. He trailed himself to the shitty little room he rented under the car garage, shivering in his coat. It was getting colder by the day. Art had never felt so miserable on New Year’s morning. Usually he and his human pack hung out at Bay Street, drinking cheap vodka, or hosted a party in the crypt.

As Art reached the garage, his foot bumped against something. He’d been lost in thought but now he looked down, surprised, to find a gnarly box at his feet. He frowned, and realised there were two more, stacked on top of each other, by the side of the building leading to the doors to the basement where Art had lived for the last two years. The boss of the garage that rented it to him – a young, handsome-ish guy whose shirt was always greasy – was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. Art gave him a reproachful look, a part of him already knowing what was happening, ‘’what’s going on?’’

‘’Sorry, kid,’’ the boss said. He didn’t look quite there, ‘’the garage is closing down.’’

The three boxes were identical to the ones Art had packed when he finally left home, leaving his mom and all her stupid, abusive, constantly-changing shitty boyfriends behind forever, ‘’what?’’

‘’Council didn’t want such an ‘unseemly’ establishment around,’’ the boss barked, ‘’they told me to close it down. I sold the building to them. It’s going to be an art gallery now,’’ the boss snorted at the ridiculous notion. He looked out across the street, ‘’this used to be a good place. Goddamn hipsters and their aesthetics.’’

‘’So...’’ Art looked at the boxes, mind blank. He didn’t even know how to carry them all, much less to _where,_ ‘’I’m being evicted?’’

The boss blew out smoke with a sheepish smile, ‘’sorry, kid,’’ he repeated, ‘’up until yesterday I thought I could hold my ground. But, you know,’’ he shrugged, put out a cigarette and lit another one, ‘’when the council puts pressure on you...’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Art said hollowly.

‘’There weren’t many customers here, anyway. Not when the whole place is getting refurbished and rich pricks are moving in.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Art repeated. He felt absolutely nothing. The fear and worry and panic would come later. For now, his brain wasn’t comprehending that in the worst possible moment – when the last building on Bay Street, his real home, was closed – he was homeless.

‘’Here,’’ the boss extended the packet of cigarettes to Art.

The boy took one, numbly, let the boss light it for him. They leaned against the wall, staring at nothing, thinking of nothing, smoking their cigarettes.

*~*~*

Alex had insisted that, after the last building on Bay Street got closed for renovations, Gus move in with him at his hotel, ‘’it’s a single room,’’ Gus said gently for the hundredth time as he spread his blankets on the floor of the van, creating a pseudo-mattress, ‘’they won’t let me stay there with you.’’

‘’We’ll get a double room,’’ Alex argued, even as he helped Gus put the pillows down. He’d had this conversation with Gus a dozen times before.

‘’With what?’’ Gus asked gently, ‘’you’re waiting to be deployed. I’m in school. You can barely afford the rent in the hotel.’’

‘’We can visit my family-‘’

‘’Alex,’’ Gus reached out to cup his mate’s cheek across Gus’ new bed, ‘’it’s just for a couple of months. Then I can go back to my old room.’’

‘’All set, Augustin?’’ DeeDee hobbled back inside her weed van, parked outside Raphael’s apartment building, in her god-awful purple tracksuit. Raphael had of course offered to take Gus in, but he had a bastard of a land lord. If, by accident, he found out that Raphael took in a third tenant inside his tiny apartment, he’d kick him, Gus and Carmelo out. Gus had turned down his offer. But he couldn’t turn down DeeDee’s, not when the elderly lady gave him a good talking to like a real grandma, about taking care of himself. Now her bed with the patchwork quilt was shoved right up in the end of the van, with her old box TV blazing some horrid telenovela.

She’d pushed her precious weed plants back, too, and they bloomed under artificial light. The whole van stank of them but now, at least, there had been a narrow space created between DeeDee’s bed and the weed factory. There Gus set down his mattress and stack of books he’d brought, to study from. There was also a plastic bag of clothes and Raphael promised to do his laundry. The rest of Gus’ belongings were being kept in Raphael’s apartment where Gus could go and get them at any moment.

‘’Yeah,’’ Gus smiled at DeeDee as she stepped over the mattress and went to water her weed plants. Alex pulled Gus up and led him outside to breathe fresh air. Already, Gus’ head was spinning from the smell of DeeDee’s weed van. It was an eternal hotbox and DeeDee, apparently, was permanently high. Gus probably would be, too.

‘’Come over as much as you want,’’ Alex said gravelly, ‘’you’ve stayed with me for days on end.’’

‘’I hate weed,’’ Gus said with a giggle, ‘’so I’ll probably be over more than I should,’’ he took Alex’s hands, ‘’sorry for the inconvenience.’’

‘’What inconvenience?’’ Alex gave him a fond grin, leaned down and kissed him.

‘’Augustin, darling, close the doors when you leave!’’ DeeDee appeared in the doorway of her van. Her sunglasses reflected the last of the day’s sun, ‘’we don’t want any of the nice juices getting out! Now, come; I’ll show you the good kush.’’

*~*~*

‘’We eat dinner together every day at six pm,’’ Fritz said as he led Buster up the stairs of the pack house Ellie owned, ‘’we take turns cooking and buying groceries. I know you’re busy so it’s fine if you’re not there. Show your face sometimes, though,’’ Fritz glanced over his shoulder, ‘’as much as you stick with your humans, you’re technically pack now.’’

‘’R-right,’’ Buster clutched his belongings, which had fit in one black bin bag and his backpack, to his chest, overwhelmed by the size of the house. Everyone had their own room.

‘’Here,’’ Fritz stopped on the second floor by a door next to a bathroom, ‘’this one’s yours. Fridge is downstairs in the kitchen. TV’s in the livingroom but I doubt you can pry the remote from the younger kids. If you need anything, I’m down the hall.’’

Despite his gruff voice and solemn face, Fritz actually seemed quite welcoming. Buster gave him a small smile, ‘’thanks.’’

Fritz nodded and walked off. Buster opened the door with some difficulty, juggling the bag and his backpack in his arms. The doors opened to the largest room Buster had ever had, with a wooden bed, a desk, a wardrobe, a nigh-stand and a window seat. Ellie had taken the liberty of furnishing the room a bit. There was a lamp on the night stand, some school stationary on the desk, a blanket and pillow on the bed and some toiletries in a plastic bag under the desk. Buster smiled as he set his belonging down by the foot of his new bed. Ellie really was like a mother of the pack.

As he thought that, he picked up on a different scent under Ellie’s. Much fainter; that person had only been there for a moment. Buster sniffed, recognising the scent. Flowers, expensive cologne and the smokey smell of incense. Gideon. Just then, Buster noticed a box lying on the bed. Slowly, he approached it. There was a post-it note on top that read;

_A late Christmas present. Carolyn told me your size. Hope you like them – Gideon_

Buster felt his body warm up. Gideon had snuck into his new room to leave a present behind, probably too shy and awkward around Buster still to deliver it personally. Buster blushed, feeling strangely...pleased. Fuzzy. He took the lid off the box and gasped. A pair of smart black trainers lay within – the sort perfect for running but also smart enough for job interviews. Buster glanced down at his own tattered sneakers, the colour washed out, the edges frayed, the laces grey with age. They were old and too small for Buster. Had Gideon noticed? Probably. Buster blushed even harder at the notion of Gideon paying such close attention to him.

Slowly, he took his old shoes off and slipped the new pair on, lacing them up almost reverently.

They fit like a dream.

*~*~*

‘’Um...I can sleep on the couch, you know?’’ Val felt strangely embarrassed when that evening Ellie, in her PJs, looking softer and gentler than her usual professional self, pulled back the covers, ready to sleep.

‘’Why?’’ Ellie asked the question so innocently Val found it less embarrassing to actually sleep in her bed than explain what kind of connotations it entailed.

‘’Just...I thought you’d be more comfortable...’’

‘’It’s a big bed,’’ Ellie shrugged, slipping under the covers. Her red hair spilled over her shoulder and onto the pillow as she leaned up and peered at Val, ‘’if you’d rather-‘’

‘’No,’’ Val said quickly, joining her in bed, ‘’no, it’s fine...’’

Val lay down on her side and Ellie reached past her, suddenly very close, to flick the light off. Val gasped and, of course, Ellie’s stupid werewolf hearing picked up on it. She peered down at Val, ‘’you okay?’’

‘’Y-yeah. Fine. Perfect,’’ Val managed.

Ellie’s warm hand descended on her shoulder, ‘’you sure?’’

‘’Just...you know,’’ Val gave her an unconvincing smile, ‘’new surroundings.’’

Ellie studied her for a moment, then lay down , facing her. Her hand remained on Val’s shoulder, ‘’I used to think you were a tough street fighter.’’

‘’I _am_ ,’’ Val said defensively.

‘’Well, yes,’’ Ellie smiled softly, ‘’but not just that,’’ her hand moved, stroking Val’s arm under the covers, ‘’is work going alright?’’

‘’F-fine,’’ Val felt herself grow hot. Ellie was surprisingly touchy-feely today. Val didn’t know if she liked or disliked it. She didn’t want to think about what either answer meant.

‘’I hear you’ve been making more and more successful matches,’’ Ellie said, sounding proud. She traced Val’s arm with the back’s of her fingers.

‘’A good investment?’’ Val teased, even though she felt like her insides were being turned to goo.

Ellie chuckled, ‘’indeed,’’ her hand went all the way to Val’s wrist, where she paused, thumb brushing over her wrist bone.

‘’Am I really?’’ Val asked, surprising herself at how...vulnerable she sounded.

‘’You are good,’’ Ellie said, her smile gone, voice serious and quiet, ‘’but you’re not an investment. You’re my mate.’’

‘’Would you do this if I wasn’t your mate?’’ Val asked before she could stop herself, ‘’help me out, let me live here?’’

Ellie smiled again, ‘’I doubt I’d ever get the chance to meet a fierce illegal street fighter if my instincts hadn’t led me to you,’’ she said, ‘’but yes. I’d to this even if we weren’t mates.’’

Val was sure Ellie could hear her pounding heart. And why in the holy hell was her heart pounding anyway!? Val quickly flipped over, breaking contact with Ellie, ‘’goodnight,’’ she blurted.

There was a moment of surprised pause before, ‘’goodnight,’’ the alpha settled down under the covers.

‘’And...Ellie?’’ Val whispered, feeling shyer and more vulnerable than ever in her life, ‘’thanks.’’

*~*~*

It was late at night and Diego was well aware that he hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours. His desperation was reaching its zenith. He hadn’t found Jamie, and he couldn’t pick up his scent. He hoped it was because he was tired and not because Jamie had left the city. _Did_ Jamie leave the city? Would he even do that, without saying goodbye to his friends? Maybe he was with one of them...

At loss, Diego found himself calling the one person who always helped him, and the rest of his pack, out, ‘’Ellie?’’

Ellie sounded tired, ‘ _’mmmmh...Diego? Its 3am._ ’’

‘’I can’t find him,’’ Diego’s heart was hammering; he felt sick with worry, ‘’I made him run away and now I can’t find him.’’

‘ _’Calm down, Diego,_ ’’ Ellie instantly sounded more awake, ‘ _’who? Who can’t you find?_ ’’

‘’Jamie...’’ Diego felt like sitting down in the middle of the dark street he was in and letting a car run him over. How could he have fucked up that much. Why did he say all those things to Jamie? Why couldn’t he have reigned in his temper? Jamie had been yelled at and mistreated enough in his life. He didn’t need Diego to be the same, especially when Diego had wanted so badly to prove to him that he wasn’t...

‘ _’Jamie is missing!?_ ’’ Ellie hissed through the phone.

So Diego told her about what had happened and afterwards, she was quiet for a long while. It sounded like she was walking around her apartment, ‘’ _okay, look,_ ’’ she said finally, ‘’ _maybe one of his friend’s will know where he is but that is your_ last resort. _Those kids are overworked and constantly worried about their own survival. They just lost the building that was the centre of their lives. What you’re going to do is go home, check if he’s there. If Jamie didn’t come back, you’ll go to sleep, replenish your strength,_ ’’ before Diego could protest, Ellie cut in, ‘’ _I know you don’t want to, but your scent and instincts are less powerful when you’re tired. You need to sleep. Tomorrow you’ll look for him again, with your senses at their peak. If you still can’t find him, call me. I’ll mobilise the pack. For now, rest, alright?_ ’’

‘’Alright,’’ Diego said emptily. As much as he didn’t want to go home – because he knew Jamie wouldn’t be there – he knew Ellie was right. He could barely pick out the individual scents of the street. The only way he’d find Jamie in this state was if he was very close.

It took everything Diego had to go home and dump himself in his bed.

*~*~*

In the end, Art landed in community college, not wanting to bother anyone.

It was closed for the Christmas break and would stay closed for a couple more days. The college was such a dump it didn’t really have much security – a couple cameras here and there and an alarm at the front doors. It took Art a couple minutes to pick the lock at the window of his classroom and slip inside. The heating was off, so it was cold, but at least he had some protection from the freezing cold outside and the howling wind. It looked like it would start raining soon, too. The next day, Art would start looking for some apartments, though with such short notice, he wouldn’t have the cash for a deposit. He needed to work but with the Crypt closed, his only option was the other clubs on the weekends. They didn’t employ dancers during the week, when the crowd was slow.

As Art sat down by his desk in the darkness of the empty classroom, he realised how without options he was. When he graduated from the college, he’d be able to get a job as a waiter, or a grocery shop salesman or something like that. Minimum wage jobs. Jobs without ambition. Raphael would keep working as a tattoo artist, a job he loved; Val had her internship and could achieve great things; Gus, with his brains and dedications, would possibly go to university; Buster was resourceful and could find a job anywhere and at any time; and Jamie...well, Jamie had always persevered. Jamie would be alright.

 Art wouldn’t. He broke easily, for all his easy smiles and jokes. Without his friends, he’d crumble. He hated being lonely more than anything else and right then, trying to fall asleep in that dark, empty, cold classroom, Art felt more alone than ever. It wasn’t a surprise that Jed wanted nothing to do with Art.

He was nothing.

He didn’t matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo if y'all want some cool shit, including:   
> \- the Lirim 5-years-later Christmas special  
> \- the next chapter of Bay Street   
> \- the last chapter of Lirim  
> \- tons of oneshots and short stories, the newest upcoming one being omegaverse between a viking and a time travelling omega   
> \- some cute art of Bay Street and Lirim   
> Then check out the link on my facebook page!   
> If you don't have facebook, drop your email in the comments and I'll send the link to you personally! 
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> All the love~


	28. Lost Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaaaah I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about our wednesday updates!! Forgive me ;-;   
> I hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read end notes!   
> You might find something you like ;)

Diego did as Ellie said. He went home and slept. He set alarm clocks on his phone to wake him up after only a couple of hours. But as soon as he collapsed in Jamie’s bed, and inhaled his scent, his nerves were calmed and he was out like a light. He slept straight through the day and awoke after sun down.

‘’Shit,’’ Diego scrambled out of bed in the dark, groggy and confused. It took him a couple of minutes to gather his thoughts. He forced himself to take a few deep breaths before hopping in the shower. He scrubbed himself down, brushed his teeth, changed his clothes and left his house.

Ellie had been right. Diego felt much stronger and more determined when he walked out onto the streets, now that he had all of his energy back. He tried to catch Jamie’s scent, but it wasn’t anywhere around the house. So Diego set out, walking around all the places he thought Jamie might be. He went to the last building on Bay Street first. There were building materials strewn all over the place; apparently the workers had already begun reinforcing the building. Diego walked round the building and his senses perked up when he caught a whiff of Jamie’s scent – rich coffee, pastries and cigarette smoke. He tried to follow the scent but it always led to a dead end and Diego realised, heart sinking, that it was just Jamie’s scent lingering in the coffee shop.

He prowled on.

He checked the pack house. It stood in the middle of a busy street and Diego sniffed the air, filing through the scents. His nerves spiked as he thought about Jamie being alone in a den of werewolves. No matter what, a human being with a whole pack in a closed space was too dangerous to warrant. Diego tried not to think about that as he tried to find Jamie’s scent in the mix. There was Buster’s sunny scent; Fritz’s nondescript, strangely appealing musk; the stench of pot that always clung to Dom; Robbie’s sticky, child-like smell...

No Jamie.

Diego exhaled, relieved, and moved on. He checked every place he’d checked when tried, hoping his sharpened senses would pick up on his mate’s scent. No such luck. With every place Diego visited, his hopes dwindled. Finally, there were no other places to go to. Diego had been practically everywhere. He knew he’d have to enlist the help of his human pack sooner or later, but before that, he made his way to the train station.

‘’Hello,’’ the tired night-shift attendant behind the information desk smiled at Diego, ‘’how can I help you?’’

Diego flashed his badge, ‘’I need to see your security footage from the last couple of days.’’

He knew what he was doing was wrong. He had no warrant; he could lose his job. But he also knew that Jamie was hurt and impulsive and that could have led him to leaving the city. Diego felt sick just thinking about Jamie, by himself, cold and alone and possibly scared, with nowhere to go, no one to turn to when he needed to. He was strong – stronger than any other seventeen year old – but he also fiercely wanted to have people he could trust and depend on. Diego saw it. The way Jamie accepted his pack and the way he started accepting Diego, in a hesitant, tentative, scared fashion. Like he knew Diego would push him away, discard him, one day anyway. Now he probably thought Diego did just that.

For a couple of hours, Diego sat in the security room, eyes scanning the security footage from the day after the full moon until today. His eyes flicked between screens, trying to catch a glimpse of Jamie’s blond hair or his old brown-and-orange flannel jacket...nothing. Diego wanted more than anything to re-watch the footage, make sure he didn’t miss Jamie slipping through the crowd and into a train...but he’d already wasted hours at the station. He thanked the attendant and left the station. He went to the intercity coach station next and repeated the same thing. By the time he emerged, empty handed, it was past midnight.  Diego swore softly to himself, looking around hopelessly. There were so many random buses, taxis, cars that Jamie could have taken...he could have just walked out of the city...Diego had no idea where to look next, he had no idea...

Diego frowned as he finally realised at what he’d been staring.

In the distance rose the high school building. The high school Jamie went to.

Of course.

Diego set off towards the building, and, in the sea of hundreds of scents, he caught Jamie’s immediately. He wondered if it was like at the building, where it would trail off to nowhere, proving to be a shit lead...

But no.

As Diego picked up on the scent and followed it, the intensity of it grew. Diego exhaled and set off at a fast jog towards where the scent led him. It grew stronger again as he left the city for the plains and fields and forests beyond it, where the pack usually ran. Here, there were a couple buildings peppered here and there, and then nothing, just nature. The invasive city scents were muted here and Jamie’s scent wrapped around Diego, soothing him. He was nearby.

Diego slowed, weaving between trees. Jamie’s scent seemed to be everywhere now and it was hard to tell which way to go if he wasn’t concentrating. The direction of the scent was getting more and more muddled and then, finally, it was all around him.

That’s when Diego saw Jamie.

He was awake, sitting under a random tree, coat wrapped around himself. He was shivering, which wasn’t surprising, considering how freezing it was. There was a single back pack by his leg. Diego’s heart clenched. He hated himself for pushing his mate into such a situation. Why couldn’t they just have bloody talked it _out_?

Diego took a step towards Jamie. The crunch of leaves under his foot gave him away and Jamie’s head shot up. When he saw Diego, his eyes widened, ‘’Jamie...’’ Diego breathed.

And then Jamie was up and running.

 _Away_ from him.

‘’Wha...’’ it took Diego three seconds to realise what happened, before he gave chase, ‘’hey, Jamie!’’ he yelled, speeding after his mate.

‘’FUCK OFF!’’ Jamie yelled over his shoulder, pushing for a higher speed. He was much smaller than Diego and it was easier for him to dodge trees and branches, which in turn slowed Diego down.

‘’Jamie, wait!’’ Diego felt his irritation spike. Why was Jamie running away from him!? ‘’I just want to talk!’’

‘’Leave me alone!’’ Jamie dodged a low hanging branch which made Diego pause. At this rate, Diego wouldn’t catch up with him.

But then the universe smiled down at him and the trees parted, revealing a clearing. Jamie, too busy on running to think, kept pushing forward. But now that there were no trees or obstacles in the way, Diego could build up his speed. He easily caught up with Jamie and closed his arm around his waist, yanking him to a stop. Jamie struggled against him, breathing hard, fatigued by the run, while Diego hadn’t even worked up a sweat, ‘’let go of me, you asshole!’’ Jamie screeched, trying desperately to get out of Diego’s grip, ‘’just leave me the fuck alone, you-‘’

‘’Why are you running away from me!?’’ Diego demanded. Despite his massive wolf strength, it was hard to keep a grip on Jamie, who was like a wiggling fish, ‘’why didn’t you come back home!?’’

But Jamie didn’t reply. He just kept yelling obscenities and kicking out, until finally Diego just grabbed his wrist and pulled him the way they came. Jamie tried desperately to pull his hand free, digging his heels in and yanking at Diego’s arm to no avail, ‘’what are you doing, dickhead!?’’ he yelled, ‘’just let me go!’’

‘’We’re going home,’’ Diego said, deadly cold.

‘’No...that’s not home...’’ Jamie hissed through gritted teeth, yanking his arm for all he was worth, ‘’I’m not...going back there...’’

Diego stopped by the tree line and turned his burning gaze on Jamie, ‘’can we talk?’’

‘’NO!’’

‘’Then we’re going home,’’ Diego said firmly, and pulled Jamie along as if he was a rag doll, albeit careful not to hurt him. All the way through the forest and plains, Jamie struggled and kicked out and screeched. By the time they walked back to the city, Jamie was too tired to struggle. He knew it was helpless. He tried a couple times to yank his arm out by surprise but eventually just slumped and let Diego pull him along. He stared at his feet, miserable and cold and confused and ashamed.

Diego said nothing the entire way home. When they reached his house, he fished out his keys without letting go of Jamie’s wrist and opened the doors. He pulled Jamie inside and only then let go. Jamie immediately bolted for the bedroom, most likely to lock himself in and avoid confrontation. Diego couldn’t blame him for not wanting to talk about what happened. But it had to be done. Diego had to apologise, had to let Jamie know that he was safe and loved and wanted.

He lunged after his mate and easily caught Jamie around his slim waist, lifting him off the floor as the boy struggled and kicked out with renewed vigour, ‘’stop...trying...to run...’’ Diego ground out, trying to keep a hold of Jamie, which was damn near impossible. Finally, he gave in, and practically carried the boy into the bedroom. He closed the doors behind them and leaned on them, cutting off Jamie’s exit, before letting him go.

Jamie immediately sprang away from him and whirled around, eyes flashing, staring Diego down like a wounded animal ready to fight for its life, ‘’let me out,’’ he barked.

Diego was breathing hard; despite being a werewolf and a cop, dragging Jamie all the way home hadn’t been easy. He leaned against the doors, calming his breathing, ‘’Jesus, you’re a handful,’’ he murmured, finally. He pushed himself off the doors and approached Jamie, who took a step back, ‘’let’s talk. Please.’’

Jamie bolted again, aiming to whiz past Diego and get to the doors but Diego saw right through him. He stepped sideways and caught Jamie, holding him tight. He’d aimed only to grab hold on him but once Jamie was in his arms, his determination left him. He sagged against Jamie, holding him close, sinking his nose into his hair and just inhaling his scent. He was here, he was safe and Diego had a chance to fix everything, ‘’asshole, get off!’’ Jamie pushed against his chest but Diego had him in a tight hold and he wasn’t about to budge. Jamie tried to fight him off, but with each second Diego’s warmth seeped into him and the fight out. Finally, he sagged against Diego, throughoutly defeated. He felt like he could sleep for a thousand years.

‘’Why did you leave?’’ Diego whispered.

Jamie was staring at the doors over Diego’s shoulder, with no real determination to get to them anymore. Suddenly, his vision blurred and he thought he was fainting. But he wasn’t. It was tears. He was going to start crying and he didn’t even care. He didn’t care if Diego saw how vulnerable he was, ‘’I shouldn’t have taken off the chains...’’ he whispered, voice wobbling.

‘’I shouldn’t have gotten so angry,’’ Diego adjusted his grip, so that rather than holding Jamie in place, he was just gently embracing him. He rested his cheek atop his blond hair, ‘’I get why you did it. Anyone would have snapped eventually, having a werewolf constantly wanting to-‘’

‘’No!’’ Jamie said sharply, voice raw from keeping back the tears, ‘’no, you don’t get it...’’

Diego froze when he realised how close Jamie was to crying. He held him closer, tighter, ‘’get what?’’ he was almost too scared of the answer.

‘’I didn’t do it cause you wore me out or scared me or anything...’’ Jamie whispered and once he did, it was hard to keep in the rest, ‘’I did it cause I really, really wanted to and that was wrong, cause I knew you didn’t want us to...do it...like that...when you couldn’t remember and...a-and I just...I don’t know, I was just so...I really...like you,’’ the last words he whispered miserably, like he hated it, but for Diego, they were the most beautiful words he could have ever heard. It felt like someone had set off a sparkler in his stomach.

‘’Jamie-‘’

‘’And no,’’ Jamie suddenly gripped the back of Diego’s jacket, burying his face in his shoulder so that his voice was muffled, ‘’it’s not because we’re mates or whatever. I don’t like you because of some higher werewolf power or some stupid instinct. I like you cause...you’re you. You’re Diego. You’re...’’ he trailed off and just pushed himself closer to his mate, needing to be close, and Diego realised he was hiding from him.

‘’Hey,’’ he murmured softly, trying to push Jamie away enough to look at him.

Jamie latched onto him, ‘’no...’’

‘’’No’, what?’’

Jamie tried desperately to blink the tears away, ‘’I just...I’m a mess right now...’’

Diego sighed, ‘’that’s my fault.’’

‘’It’s not.’’

‘’It is,’’ Diego took Jamie firmly by the shoulders and pulled him back, looking at him properly. Jamie’s eyes were glassy and rimmed with red, his hair dishevelled from the struggling. Diego wanted to bundle him up in a blanket and get him to bed, but he needed to apologise first, ‘’I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I shouldn’t have made you be there during the full moon and I shouldn’t have made you feel like a useless kid after. Cause you’re not. And I hate that I made you feel like you didn’t belong here. Cause you do, okay? Right here. With me,’’ he drew Jamie back towards him, keeping him close in his arms but far away to be able to peer down at him. Jamie was watching him with wide eyes, as if Diego had spoken in tongues.

Diego unwound one arm from around Jamie’s waist to press a hand to his cheek, tracing it slowly with his thumb, ‘’you don’t believe me,’’ it was a statement. Diego could see that Jamie didn’t. Maybe it’d take a while for Jamie to completely believe that with Diego, he was home, no matter what happened – he was safe and cherished. Maybe it would take years. Maybe it would never fully happen. But Diego would spend his whole life assuring Jamie of how much he loved him.

Jamie looked away, ‘’I...just...’’

‘’It’s okay,’’ Diego pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Jamie’s forehead, ‘’don’t think about it anymore. You’re home now. You’re safe. Stay, okay?’’

Jamie’s eyes fluttered half-shut, ‘’for how long.’’

A gentle smile played on Diego’s lips, ‘’forever, stupid.’’

Jamie’s breath caught. He tilted his head up, so he could look at Diego, ‘’really?’’ he asked, and Diego had never heard him sound so tiny, so afraid and yet so hopeful.

‘’Really,’’ Diego murmured.

Jamie averted his eyes but then they returned, gazing up into Diego’s, ‘’can I...’’ Jamie’s voice was so quiet that Diego could barely hear him, ‘’...kiss you?’’

Diego’s heart jumped a beat as he murmured warmly, ‘’you don’t have to ask. You never had to.’’

And then Jamie surged up and kissed him, soft and hesitant but somehow firm. Jamie always held back with his love and protection and affection, because it was fierce and intense and once he let it go, it remained forever. He allowed himself to care for his friends like that, and now...now he let himself care for Diego, too. He threw his arms around his neck and kissed him, their mouths meeting harder and deeper with each kiss, and Diego’s arms were so tight around Jamie’s waist that it was getting hard to breathe. But Jamie would have gladly suffocated in that moment, because Diego was warm and soothing and yet he lit Jamie alight at the same time and, finally, he was aware of Jamie’s kisses. And he was kissing him back.

He was kissing him back.

Diego wished they could have stayed there, tangled together, all night. But soon Jamie grew tired from the days of excitement and adrenaline and fear and tears. Diego felt it as easily as he felt his own fatigue and he picked Jamie up. Jamie gave a muffled yelp against his mouth but didn’t stop kissing him until Diego lay him down in bed, ‘’stay,’’ Jamie blurted immediately when Diego pulled away.

Diego smiled and kissed Jamie, once more, ‘’I wasn’t going anywhere,’’ he assured. He kicked his shoes off and slipped in next to Jamie.

For a moment, neither knew what to do. It was the first time they slept next to each other when conscious. Finally, Diego reached for Jamie, and drew him close, running his hand down his back and Jamie settled, like a little mouse, against his side. Diego would have never imagined that Jamie could be this quiet and placated and needy for affection, and yet here they were. Diego smiled in the darkness. He knew tomorrow he’d have his fierce, sassy Jamie back, but this side of him...it was nice to see.

They fell asleep, together, in their dirty clothes, seconds after.

*~*~*

Jed got out of his car in front of the community college.

He was slightly irritated. It was still his ‘holiday’ – he didn’t treat it as such, considering how many essays he had to grade – but in the fray he’d forgotten the load from his literature class in the college. He’d been all cosy on his couch, in a sweater and all, coffee at hand, ready to spend the evening grading, but yet here he was, in the freezing cold, outside the dark, uninviting, temporarily abandoned building, ‘’just my luck,’’ he grumbled, pulling out the keys the janitor had gotten for him. He selected the one for the front door and unlocked it. There was no alarm to disable, so he just set off at a fast pace down the squat building, towards the classroom he taught in.

As he walked, he picked through the array of scent, subconsciously, until he got to Art’s. It was stronger than the others, the pleasant blend of shampoo and campfire apples and, strangely enough, alcohol. Jed inhaled it, deeply, even though he knew he shouldn’t. Art had made it clear at Ellie’s New Year party that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with Jed – unsurprisingly. Art should honour his wish and that involved not thinking about him, and not seeking his scent out on purpose. But he couldn’t help himself – or the miserable feeling that overtook him every time he remembered how he and Art parted.

He stopped in front of the classroom doors, shaking his head to clear it, and unlocked the doors. It was freezing cold, his breath materialising in white puffs, as he walked inside, flicked the light on...

And gasped.

Because there was Art, sitting at his own desk, arms folded on it, head resting atop. He was asleep, frowning lightly in his sleep, bundled in his old coat and frayed scarf. His fingers, peeking from under his sleeves, were pink from the chill, ‘’what the hell!?’’ Jed rumbled and Art jumped, startled awake. He looked around, blinking sleep away, confused and cold and probably scared as hell.

‘’Wha...I...Jed?’’

Jed marched up to him and slammed his hands on the desk, rattling it, making Art jump again. He leaned down, so that they were face-to-face, ‘’what the hell are you doing here?’’

‘’I-I...what are _you_ doing here!?’’ Art spluttered, groggy and confused.

‘’Answer the question,’’ Jed barked.

Art scowled, ‘’none of your business. I told you to leave me alone,’’ he got up and went for the doors.

Jed followed him, the essays completely forgotten, ‘’where are you going?’’ he demanded, feeling anger course through him. What the hell was Art thinking, sleeping in such a cold, desolate place in the middle of winter?

‘’I’m leaving, before you kick me out,’’ Art snapped, without looking back.

Jed grabbed his arm, ‘’and where are you going to go?’’ Art looked away, unable to come up with a quick answer. Jed felt his anger surge, ‘’do you even have anywhere to sleep?’’

Art chewed the inside of his cheek, feeling his cheeks heat with embarrassment, ‘’this was only temporary. I got evicted and without a deposit...’’

‘’Why didn’t you call someone?’’ Jed snapped.

‘’With what!?’’ Art snapped back, getting defensive. He was staring to tremble now that he wasn’t asleep, ‘’and who would I call? My friends aren’t exactly in better positions than me.’’

‘’You could have called me!’’

Art snorted, ‘’what, like that wouldn’t violate your _teacher-student boundaries_ , ‘’ he said mockingly, yanking his arm out of Jed’s grip. He started towards the doors.

‘’I just...’’ Jed ran his hands through his dark hair, feeling his anger give way to frustration, ‘’I just want you to take care of yourself.’’

‘’Always have,’’ Art said, so casually it almost hurt how much he didn’t care about his situation.

‘’Arthur, let me help you,’’ Jed said, before Art reached the doors.

Art stopped, hand on the handle. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes cold. But then he said, ‘’if you want to help me then drop me off at the nearest shelter.’’

Again, that pain, cutting through Jed’s heart. It hurt to nod.

They went outside and Jed locked up the school again. They slipped into his car, parked by the curb, and immediately Art asked, ‘’do you have a GPS?’’

Jed mutely turned it on and Art tapped in the address of the shelter. Jed’s heart gave a sad thump at the knowledge that Art knew the shelter’s address off by heart. Jed started the car and Art blew in his hands to warm them up. The werewolf turned on the heating and said, quietly, ‘’put your seat-belt on.’’

Art did so, probably just so Jed would shut up. He didn’t look at him.

Jed drove.

After a while, Art frowned, ‘’you’re going the wrong way. The GPS shows a different road.’’

‘’Shortcut,’’ Jed said tightly, ‘’I know this area.’’

Art finally glanced at him. He looked like he was going to say anything but eventually he just settled down, staring out of the window. They made it past the main city area and went into the factory area, with warehouses and ugly buildings. Out of nowhere, Jed parked his car in front of a random building that looked like a small, shut-down design company. Art’s heart gave a small, worried thump, ‘’um...where are we?’’

Jed killed the engine and looked at Art, ‘’I live here.’’

Art stared, ‘’huh?’’

‘’You didn’t seriously think I’d let you stay in a homeless shelter,’’ when Art just stared, Jed sighed, ‘’just...let me take care of you for a bit.’’

‘’Oh,’’ Art said coldly, getting over his shock, ‘’ _now_ you want to take care of me?’’

‘’Yes,’’ Jed said quietly, and sighed again, ‘’I’m sorry. I know I’ve said and done some really not-okay things. But I’m trying to figure out all of this, okay? I’m as confused and new to this as you are, so...give me a chance, to at least get you back to your feet.’’

Art stared at Jed and Jed wondered what he would do. He sat behind the steering wheel, tense and waiting. But then Art slumped and exhaled and he seemed almost...relieved? ‘’okay,’’ he said and Jed relaxed. Art added a quick, ‘’thanks,’’ and got out of the warm car.

They walked to the building and to the rickety lift, ‘’you live here?’’ Art asked uncertainly as the lift took them to the top of the building, ‘’it seems a bit...dodgy. For you.’’

Jed shrugged, ‘’I like it,’’ the lift released them into the corridor, which was heated and clean, if dark. The bulbs hadn’t worked when Jed moved in and he still hadn’t fixed them. He went to the doors leading to his loft and unlocked them.

‘’Whoa...’’ Art breathed when he suddenly found himself in a large, open space, filled with brown leather couches, hanging pot plants and carpeted floors. There was a library on one wall and huge windows. Lights flickered on to reveal the area separated into a sitting area, a kitchen and a study. There was a door leading presumably to the bathroom, because the bedroom was...well, afloat. There was a winding black staircase leading up to and open second floor, encircled by a barrister. Art could just glimpse a TV, a bed and deep gold curtains hanging around the ceiling, ready to be let down like walls around the bed, providing privacy.

‘’I’ll get you something to eat,’’ Jed said, as Art looked around in awe, ‘’make yourself at home.’’

He shrugged his jacket off and hung it up while Art went for the couch. The boy moved some papers to the side and sat down on the soft furniture, looking around with an open mouth. The loft was cool and homey at the same time – like a dream home for Art. He couldn’t stop staring around until a plate of sandwiches and a mug of tea were set down in front of him on a low table, also filled with papers ready for grading. Art took the cup and cradled it between his chilled hands. He looked up at Jed, ‘’thanks, I...’’ he trailed off, surprised.

Jed was in a soft-looking cream sweater, old jeans and fluffy socks, his hair loose and falling into his eyes. He looked his age, but instead of in the bad-boy, casual-heart-throb way from the parties, he looked...well. Like husband material.

‘’What?’’ Jed raised an eyebrow and Art quickly looked away.

‘’N-nothing.’’

Jed sat down next to Art. Close. Way too close. Art forgot how to breathe. He quickly chugged his tea and set the cup down, ‘’if you’re tired, you can go to sleep,’’ Jed said, ‘’there’s a shower, if you want, and then you can crash on my bed.’’

‘’Where will you sleep?’’ Art asked, looking up. Big mistake. Jed was literally _right there_. So close Art could touch him without even reaching out.

‘’Couch,’’ Jed shrugged, ‘’I have lots of work to do,’’ he added before Art could protest, ‘’so you wouldn’t be able to sleep downstairs for ages.’’

Art quickly looked away, ‘’okay. Um...shower sounds great,’’ there hadn’t exactly been one in the college.

Jed nodded and Art quickly left the room, sleeping into the bathroom. His heart was pounding, hard, until he stepped under the shower. The hot water, delicious on his skin, distracted him. He would have gladly stayed in the shower for hours but he didn’t want to rack up Jed’s water bill, so he scrubbed his body and hair with Jed’s shampoo. He found a towel on the rack and wrapped it around his waist, not really wanting to put his grimy clothes back on. He needed to ask Jed to borrow him some clothes, so he grabbed the handle of the doors, stepped out...

And bumped straight into Jed.

The impact made him lean against the wall and Jed, right in front of him, blushed furiously, ‘’s-s-sorry,’’ he stammered, even as he couldn’t stop his eyes from looking down. The water dripped from Art’s ash-blond hair, down the curve of his neck, trickling down his chest to the tower around his waist, which was the only thing...oh God. Jed quickly averted his gaze, ‘’u-um, you can wear some of my clothes...’’ he extended the stack of clothes in his arms he’d been carrying for Art out and Art grabbed them.

‘’Thanks,’’ he squeaked, hiding in the bathroom. He stayed there until his pounding heart once again calmed down. Only then did he wipe himself dry and slip into Jed’s t-shirt and sleeping shorts, both big on him. Still, they would do. When he finally had the courage to leave the bathroom, Jed was sitting on the couch, grading papers, composed and calm as ever.

‘’All done?’’ he asked, not looking up from the papers.

‘’Y-yeah,’’ Art said, ‘’um. Thanks. Again. Night.’’

‘’Goodnight.’’

Art practically ran up the stairs and threw himself on Jed’s bed. His body sighed at the delicious softness of the bed and he sank his face in the pillows. His mind was a mess. He was supposed to hate Jed. He’d told himself after New Year’s that he’d forget all about him. He’d even told Jed to stay away. But now...God, now the memories of the kiss, and Jed’s eyes on him when they danced, and the time he’d given Jed a lap dance and everything in between came flooding back and...and Art didn’t want to forget about Jed. He just wanted to lay in his bed, inhaling his scent, calmed by the fact that he was just downstairs, grading papers casually.

‘’Stupid,’’ Art grumbled at himself, ‘’you’re so stupid.’’

And then he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo so if anyone wants to read some more of my stories, you can check out my p-you-know-what. Link below!
> 
> The stories include:  
>  \- completed Lirim & next chapter of Bay Street
> 
> \- Two 'bride of war' stories, set in a WW2 universe where soldiers can sponsor omegas back at home as their 'brides' in return for a home and family if they return from war. Story 1 is about a London boy who eagerly awaits the arrival of General Hugo Speltzer, his husband. Story 2 is about a farmer in America, taking care of an orphaned child and dreading the return of a husband whom he'd never met. (Story names: The Bride of War & American Sweetheart)
> 
> \- A story about an ex-mafia kid, engaged to a man serving a life sentence. After an accident that leaves him wheelchair-bound, he leaves his dangerous family and life behind. He thinks he got away from it all - until his would-be husband is released from prison and comes looking for him, set on the marriage. (Story name: Kicking Ass and Other Extreme Sports)
> 
> \- A prison story, featuring multiple pairings - cop x prisoner, prisoner x prisoner etc. (story name: Maximum Security)
> 
> \- A 1920s omegaverse AU about a rich, American socialite who finds out his mate is...a poor Irish kid with a multitude of siblings and no idea about etiquette. (story name: Rhapsody in Blue)
> 
> \- A story about the Tsar of Russia, who falls in love with a strange boy with wings, purchased from a circus. (story name: the Tsar's Angel)
> 
> \- Two stories set in the universe of mermaids at war with the Kraken. After being saved by a beautiful merman, a Kraken General is set on proving that the two can mate and live in harmony. Story 2 is a sequel featuring two characters from story 1. Warning: tentacles involved! (story names: The Tale of the Bottomless Blue & The City of Peace)
> 
> \- A short, cute oneshot about a rich kid falling in love with his android bodyguard (story name: Wires)
> 
> \- A darker story about a 'perfect' suburban couple who kidnap a homeless ex-detective to become their pet (story name: Picket Fences, Barbed Wire)
> 
> \- A story about an elf warrior falling in love with a human cook at the palace, and being way too awkward to confess. Good if you're a sucker for major height/size difference! (story name: The Boy and the Warrior)
> 
> \- A girl on girl story about a post-apocalyptic world where a couple hundred survivors live in an abandoned train in the middle of nuclear winter. The closer to the front of the train you live, the higher your status, but when a dangerous plot is uncovered, a cold, ruthless huntress from the back of the train and a sheltered, young girl from the front will have to join forces to save each other (story name: The Last Train to Kremnica)
> 
> Currently posted part 1 of a time-travel omegaverse story! Part 2 coming soon! There's options for story requesting as well, so get the link from my facebook page below, or drop your email & I'll send it to you personally!!
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> If you don't have facebook, drop your email in the comments and I'll email you the link ^_^
> 
> All the love & thanks for your support :*


	29. 12th of January

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi kids!   
> So I'll be posting the general overview of the stories on my other page at the end of each chapter. There's a new one every week or so, and these will be mentioned at the bottom of the list, so if you've read it already, scroll to the bottom! You might find something you'd like to read! 
> 
> Otherwise, enjoy the chapter~

The day of the duel crept up on Ellie like a thief in the night.

The 12th of January had come out of nowhere. One moment, Ellie was working her ass off at the matchmaking company and coming home with Val, who slept in her bed. They were growing closer. The pack was going on runs; she was helping Fritz’s kids find jobs. All was as it was supposed to be.

And then on the 12th, Ellie woke up and realised it could all be over tonight.

Val, as if sensing her mate’s feelings, stirred. Ellie watched her wake up; took in the way she stretched and yawned, then slithered fully under her covers and scratched the multitude of curls atop her head. Finally, without looking at her mate, she said, ‘’today’s the day.’’

Ellie sighed. Today, she didn’t want to be the alpha. She wanted to stay in bed with Val, and just talk. Grow closer. Become better friends, and then, maybe...

‘’So it is,’’ Ellie said, getting out of bed with purpose. Today might be her last day alive. She was stronger, more trained, than Tatiana, but she wasn’t stupid. There was no surety of who would walk away from the fight alive.

Ellie went to the bathroom. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, calming herself. When she returned to the bedroom, Val was still sitting in bed, gripping the covers tightly between her dark fingers, ‘’you’re...going to be alright, aren’t you?’’

Ellie knew she wasn’t. Whatever the outcome was, it would never be good. The fight was pack-on-pack, and so the wolves would fight it out until one of their leaders – Ellie or Tatiana – were killed. If Ellie was killed, her pack would have to pledge allegiance to Tatiana or leave the territory. Two werewolf packs couldn’t co-exist in such close premises. But if Ellie won then...well, then she’d have to kill her sister.

‘’I’ll make it quick,’’ Ellie said, because she didn’t want to lie to Val.

Val finally got out of bed, ‘’I can help,’’ she said, determined, ‘’I’m a good fighter-‘’

‘’Not by werewolf standards,’’ Ellie said. She reached for Val and put a hand on her shoulder, ‘’you could win against most humans, but wolves are on another level. You know that.’’

Val looked pissed, ‘’you’re letting Buster and Raphael fight.’’

‘’I wish I didn’t,’’ Ellie sighed, ‘’they’ve officially decided to join the pack, which means I can’t order them out of this fight,’’ she shook her head, ‘’those fuckers.’’

Val groaned and went to Ellie’s closet, where a space had been cleared for her clothes, ‘’just...make sure no one gets permanently injured,’’ she pulled on a t-shirt and hopped into shorts, ‘’there’s no, like, fight to the death bullshit or anything right?’’

Ellie was thrown off track by Val’s sudden, bull’s-eye remark, ‘’...no.’’

Val froze and, slowly, turned to face Ellie, ‘’you hesitated.’’

‘’N-no I didn’t...’’ Ellie cursed the stutter in her voice.

Val stared at her for a good couple of second and then stormed up to her mate, ‘’oh, hell no,’’ she glowered at her, ‘’you’re not going _anywhere_ -‘’

‘’I’m not going to die,’’ Ellie tried to stay calm.

‘’So, what?’’ Val demanded, ‘’you’re going to kill your sister then?’’

Ellie’s heart sank. She wished there was a way out of the situation, a different way out. But she couldn’t just back down and hand everything to Tatiana – her company, her pack, her home... Ellie pressed a hand to her forehead, ‘’just...I’ll figure it out...’’

Val clenched her fists, ‘’all this time, you let me believe this was an innocent scrap!’’

‘’Fritz killed one of their wolves!’’ Ellie exploded, ‘’it was never going to be that easy!’’

Val shook her head, and took a step away from Ellie, ‘’I can’t believe you’re going through with this.’’

Ellie gave her a desperate look, ‘’I don’t have a choice...Val!’’

But Val was already storming out of the doors and into the livingroom. Ellie ran after her and found the livingroom full of wolves; her pack had come, ready to fight. Val strode past them as if they didn’t exist, ‘’Valentina, please-‘’

The doors slammed shut with a horrible finality and Ellie exhaled shakily. She could run after her, make her understand. But that didn’t change the fact that there was a fight ahead of the Winter pack – and that was the biggest priority right then. Jed cleared his throat, ‘’is everything alright?’’

Ellie sighed but forced herself to straighten her back. She pulled a hair tie from her back pocket and quickly braided her hair, ‘’get some coffee, everyone. We’ll study the territory once again.’’

The fight was at noon, in the forest, away from prying eyes. As the kitchen filled with werewolves, Ellie inspected all of them. Since Tatiana declared the fight, they’d all been training to strengthen themselves. They’d all put on muscle. Ellie marked each one of her wolves.

Alex. He was young, but he was a soldier. He reacted fast, had good reflexes, proper training...he could fight and listen to instruction. He had the instinct and logic required for a battlefield. Despite his sunny-blond good looks and kind, green eyes, he’d be one of Ellie’s strongest fighters.

Diego. He was another major asset. A cop – he had training and skill, like Alex. Ellie had seen him in wolf form. He was massive, powerful and commanding, almost like an alpha. She hoped just the sight of him would break up the morale of some of Tatiana’s younger wolves.

Fritz. He was more unpredictable than the other two, but he had street smarts. He was used to the rough way of gangs; what he lacked in discipline and strategy, he made up in raw power and speed. He could play dirty, something that would hopefully throw off Tatiana and her well-bred pack.

Gideon. Pretty, model Gideon...but Ellie wasn’t stupid enough to underestimate him. He wasn’t as strong as some of the other males, but as a wolf he was lanky and fast. Possibly the fastest out of all of them. He could really do some damage if he didn’t get tackled by some of Tatiana’s bigger wolves.

Then there was Jed. He was so proper, always calm and calculated. Ellie had never seen him fight. But now, looking at him, in his tank-top and loose army pants, she saw the rippling muscle, the determination and strength lurking under his skin that he so rarely unleashed. He was as strong as Diego, but he was also smarter. He could calculate the situation quickly, could think his way out of difficult situations. Ellie was glad to have him on her side.

Then came Fritz’s sub-pack. Fourteen year old Robbie had, of course, wanted to fight but Ellie had forbid it. Dom, too high to do more than sit on a couch, was to stay with him in Ellie’s apartment and await news of the come-out of the fight. The others...they’d be good in a fight, though. They all had the street smarts and gang fight experience. Neta was quiet and deadly. Graham was a young wolf, agile and quick; Ellie wished she didn’t have to ask her to fight, but she needed all the wolves she could get. Sid would be a good addition to their defence and Rosita, the most experienced fighter next to Fritz, would add the needed manpower.

Ellie glanced at the last two wolves.

Raphael and Buster. Once they heard of the fight, they had insisted they help. Ellie had the power to make them stand down as alpha, but not in this case. When their pack was threatened, the first wolf instinct was to protect them, not listen to their alpha. Besides, one the two of them announced their allegiance to Ellie, they earned the full right to fight for their territory, their pack and their alpha.

Ellie still worried. They were inexperienced in fighting as wolves. But Ellie trusted them, as she trusted the rest of her pack.

‘’Stick to our strategy if you can,’’ Ellie said when everyone had coffee and had gone silent, ‘’I know this fight will probably go in the opposite direction of what we expect. We don’t know Tatiana’s pack; we don’t know the numbers or their fighting styles. This fight is going to be unpredictable but don’t get overwhelmed. Protect each other. Fight with all you have. Attack to maim, disable or knock out; don’t kill unless you have to,’’ Ellie took a deep breath, ‘’hopefully there will be only one death today.’’

*~*~*

The day was shockingly beautiful – bright and clear, despite the cold – for a fight that could easily turn into a blood bath. Ellie led her back, walking through the fields behind the city and venturing into the forest. Already, she could smell her sister’s scent, and the mixed smells of her pack. She couldn’t pick out how many, exactly. Which meant there were a lot of them.

‘’Just stay behind me,’’ Ellie heard Gideon murmur to Buster. She didn’t turn to see the younger boy’s reaction.

They picked their way over to the designated meeting spot – a large-ish clearing. Even terrain...a fair spot. As soon as Ellie walked into the clearing, she swore mentally. They were outnumbered; not drastically, but perhaps enough to make a difference. Ellie skimmed Tatiana’s pack. She didn’t recognise anyone she knew. She had a couple burly males and females – her main fighters – behind her, but other than that, the rest of the pack looked like inexperienced kids. Last time Ellie had been home, Tatiana hadn’t had a pack – perhaps she had collected these in a hurry. Ellie exhaled slowly. She had plenty of kids in her rank, too, but at least they knew how to fight a little.

‘’Sister,’’ Tatiana called, a broad grin on her pretty face. Her brown hair was pulled back from her pretty face. She was so young, and yet so malicious, ‘’we were wondering if you’d come or not,’’ a couple chuckles went up from her pack. They’d likely been betting on whether Ellie would show or not.

‘’If you knew me at all, _sister_ , then you’d know I always show up,’’ Ellie said with a venomous smile. Tatiana’s own smile disappeared. She used the title ‘sister’ mockingly; Ellie used it as an insult. In that one word, she told Tatiana all she needed to know – that she was younger, weaker and stupider than Ellie. Ignorant and prideful, ‘’now, let’s get this over with before dinner, shall we?’’

Tatiana’s eyes flashed at disregard and Ellie felt satisfaction. One of the things her sister hated the most was being made to feel like she was a child, merely an annoyance, not an actual threat...but then a smile bloomed on Tatiana’s face. A mocking, sarcastic smile, ‘’my, my,’’ she looked at Fritz and Raphael growled softly, in warning. Tatiana ignored him, ‘’you have a little omega in your ranks,’’ her wolves burst out laughing. Diego, who was standing before Fritz, stepped as if to cover him, ‘’and here I thought you’d actually pose some sort of threat.’’

Raphael expected Fritz to lose his temper, but he just regarded Tatiana with a cool gaze, ‘’we have better things to do then get involved in your childish bullshit.’’

Tatiana’s grin wavered and turned into a snarl, ‘’fine,’’ she hissed, ‘’the winner gets control of the Ignatiev inheritance and company and the territory of this city.’’

‘’As soon as one of us is down,’’ Ellie growled at both packs, ‘’you stop fighting.’’

‘’The losing pack may chose to join me,’’ Tatiana said confidently, ‘’or leave the city.’’

‘’Enough talking,’’ Ellie bared her teeth, ‘’let’s get this over with.’’

And then they all shifted.

*~*~*

Gideon wanted, more than anything, to stick to Mickey and protect him. But that wasn’t the aim of the game. Ellie was counting on him to keep the enemy wolves at bay while she dealt with her sister, so Gideon set off sprinting. In wolf form, he was a lithe, fast streak of dark fur. He ran around the perimeter of the clearing, hoping that’s where all the inexperienced wolves fell back to. He was correct. The smaller, weaker werewolves stayed around the corners, barking at the main fighting crowd and nipping at the backs of Gideon’s pack, trying to find a moment where they could attack easily.

Gideon picked them off, one by one.

There were five of them. He pounced on the nearest one, roughly his size, and before the wolf could clock what was going on, Gideon sank his fangs into the wolf’s shoulder. He knew exactly what to aim for and, as soon as the pressure point was triggered, the wolf convulsed, fell to the ground and shifted back to human. He stayed on the ground, unconscious, and Gideon moved on, giving another wolf the same treatment. By then, the remaining three outsiders realised what he was doing. The two smaller ones whined and ran into the fighting fray, taking their chances there. The remaining wolf growled and ran for Gideon.

Gideon looked back over his shoulder, made sure Mickey was unharmed, and met the wolf halfway.

*~*~*

Diego ran straight for the centre of the pack, where the top dogs were. Ellie ran by him, for a couple of seconds, before speeding up and tackling a lithe, brown wolf – Tatiana. Diego’s paws hit the ground, strong. He had Alex on one side of him, Jed on the other, and the three of them slammed into the bulk of Tatiana’s pack as one. Two wolves were thrown so hard they skidded and lost their balance, but they attacked right back.

Tatiana had a lot of wolves and Diego only realised this when he started fighting. There were bodies pressing up against him from all sides, teeth and claws grazing him without doing any real damage. Blindly, Diego lashed out and his jaws clamped on a foot of a smaller wolf. He whimpered and Diego heard bones crunching. A second wolf bit down lightly on the wounded wolf’s nape and yanked him out of the fray, giving Diego a clear shot at one of the bigger wolves. They fell to the ground, clawing and biting at each other, and three wolves jumped over them, running for the rest of Ellie’s pack.

*~*~*

Alex saw Diego go down moment before fangs clamped around his throat. Thankfully, the wolf attacking him had done so prematurely, and his fangs only grazed Alex’s throat, drawing blood. Alex jumped back, snarled, and lunged for the wolf. He felt another wolf throw himself against his back, trying to rip his artery out of the side of his neck.

Thankfully, Jed was there.

Jed bit down on the wolf’s leg, made sure he had a strong grip, and yanked him off Alex, throwing him as hard as he could. The wolf hit the ground, rolled a couple of times and shifted into a human girl. She coughed and tried to stand up. Her leg was bleeding severely. She struggled to her feet, stumbled...

No, she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t dare...

But, yes. The girl shifted back to werewolf form, despite her injury, and with a furious roar ran straight for Jed.

*~*~*

Fritz bit savagely into the shoulder of the wolf attacking it, shaking his head, his fangs shredding the shoulder. He did it until the wolf’s furious growls turned into pained whimpers. Only then did he let go and the wolf ran off, into the forest, away from the fight. Only a second later another wolf attacked Fritz. Raphael, who had stayed back to intercept the second wave of werewolves, bit into the wolf’s side until he let Fritz go. He shifted back into a human man and scrambled away, clutching his bleeding side. Raphael didn’t even have time to check if Fritz was okay, because two more wolves broke away from the main fighting and came at them. Nearby, Buster was wrestling with a she wolf. They were clawing at each other but Buster had sustained a lot of injuries. It was unfortunate; it looked like the female he was fighting against was as well trained as Alex or Diego. But neither Fritz nor Raphael could help him – they were too busy trying to fight the wolves in front of them.

Rosita was by Buster, trying to bite the she-wolf in a place that would cause significant injury, but the wolf was easily taking on both of them.

Fritz threw the enemy werewolf off him and looked around. His pack was getting overwhelmed – Tatiana’s pack was stronger than they had anticipated. The wolf returned, clawing at Fritz, and Fritz fought back with everything he had. But he knew they wouldn’t last long.

Ellie had to kill Tatiana, and _quick_.

*~*~*

The fight was going too slow.

Way too slow.

Ellie heard, all around her, pained yelp, growls and whines. She heard bones crunching and fur shredding. She was pouring all her strength into her body, attacking Tatiana over and over again, but her sister had grown stronger than the last time they fought. Before, it had been play-fighting. Now, it was a proper battle and Ellie was terrified to find that Tatiana was strong enough to hold her own. Ellie was still stronger, as an alpha – much stronger – but because Tatiana wasn’t an easy opponent, the fight was drawn out. Ellie didn’t even want to question herself if she was truly giving the fight her all. The thought of ripping open Tatiana’s throat made her stay back, defend herself more than attack.

_I need to end this. Come on. Just do it._

A golden wolf – Alex – sailed through the air and landed hard next to her and Tatiana. He got right back up. He leg was a bloody mess; he was limping but he was ready to fight. He looked at Ellie, as if trying to convey his strength, before joining the rest of the fray.

_Do it now._

With a roar, Ellie lunged at Tatiana. They flew back. Now they were on the edge of the battle, the other wolves ignoring them. Ellie landed on top of Tatiana, managed to pin her down with her paws. Tatiana struggled like crazy, trying to sink her fangs into Ellie’s legs. Her teeth ripped into Ellie’s skin, but Ellie didn’t care, too busy trying to hold her sister down. The pain didn’t even register. Ellie’s eyes zoned in on Tatiana’s throat. All she had to do was lunge down, clamp her jaws around that throat and just pull, all it would take was one bite, one movement, and this all would be over, and her pack would be safe, so just do it, just do it, just _fucking_ -

Suddenly, Tatiana got smaller. Much smaller.

She shrunk back down to human form and, in her confusion, Ellie forgot to pin her down again. Tatiana rolled out from under Ellie and jumped to her feet. Ellie braced herself, ready for Tatiana to shift back, ready to attack once more...

But Tatiana didn’t shift.

She reached into her waistband and pulled out a gun.

And then she pointed it at Ellie’s head, ‘’ _proschchay, sestra_ ,’’ she said with a venomous smile.

The fighters behind them seemed to freeze.

And then the gun went off.

*~*~*

No.

Not that gun.

A different gun.

The bullet zipped through the air and hit Tatiana in the shoulder. She cried out, stumbling back, managing to keep a hold on her gun. She levelled it back on Ellie and looked sharply up.

Ellie followed her line of vision and her eyes widened.

At the edge of the clearing stood Val, with a shotgun in her arms. The shotgun was pointed straight at Tatiana and the deadly look on Val’s face scared the crap out of most werewolves in the clearing.

Behind Val was Art, a handgun drawn on the wolf atop Buster. He had been ready to rip his throat out but now he got off, very slowly, and shifted back into human form.

Jamie and Gus were on the other side of the clearing, pointing their guns at the enemy wolves. For a hot second, Ellie wondered where the hell they’d gotten them.

And then DeeDee stepped out from behind Jamie. Ellie had never been more relieved to see an old lady dressed in atrocious purple, aiming a shotgun at her enemies, ‘’y’all ought to be put down,’’ she grumbled.

Slowly, one by one, the werewolves all shifted back to human form. Tatiana’s pack bared their teeth at the newcomers.

Buster was on the ground, not getting up. He was breathing hard and Ellie watched, horrified, as blood seeped from his side. Gideon was at his side in a flash, his shirt off and pressing to the wound. Ellie’s other boys looked torn up, too.

The fight had come to a standstill.

‘’Give up,’’ Tatiana hissed. She was bloody all over but her gun did not waver as she pointed it at Ellie. Ellie finally shifted back and stood. Tatiana raised her gun, aiming it at her head, ‘’and tell the humans to stand down. They are violating rules; they are not your pack.’’

‘’Yes, we are,’’ Val barked at her, her shotgun as steady as Tatiana’s, ‘’come over here if you want to question that.’’

Tatiana swallowed and turned her gaze back to Ellie. Clearly, she was more comfortable pointing the gun than having one pointed at her. Ellie narrowed her eyes, ‘’whose violating rules here, huh? Our mothers would be disgusted.’’

‘’SHUT UP!’’ Tatiana roared. She was losing ground, quick, and her shoulder was bleeding heavily. She took a step forward and pressed the barrel of her gun directly against Ellie’s forehead, ‘’give up,’’ she grunted, ‘’or I will blow your brains out.’’

‘’And yours will join hers on the grass,’’ Val warned, cocking her shotgun.

‘’This is like the Wild West all over again,’’ DeeDee chuckled. She looked eager to shoot something.

Jamie shot her a look, ‘’you’re not a vampire.’’

No one dared to move. If Tatiana shot Ellie, then she’d get shot right back. Tatiana’s wolves could try to shift and attack after that, but the humans would shoot them before they got the chance to. It would be a blood bath and no one seemed to want that; some of Tatiana’s wolves were looking at her and her gun in disgust. She had violated the very fight she had called.

Suddenly, Gideon’s terrified voice cut through the clearing, ‘’Mickey? Mickey!’’

Ellie glanced quickly at Buster. His eyes were closed. His skin was pale and sweaty. The shirt Gideon held to his side was soaked through with blood. Alex tried to get over to them but his mangled leg gave out and he fell to his knees, grunting, ‘’Alex!’’ Gus yelled, horrified. The gun he was holding was trembling, hard, in his hands.

‘’Give up,’’ Tatiana hissed again.

Gideon looked pleadingly at Ellie, ‘’stop the fight! He needs an ambulance.’’

‘’Give up,’’ Tatiana grunted, ‘’or you and your friends will die.’’

‘’Ellie, _please_!’’ there were helpless tears in Gideon’s eyes. Val was looking desperately between Ellie and Buster.

Ellie looked back to Tatiana, ‘’you are not my sister,’’ she whispered, deadly quiet.

Then she put her hands at shoulder-height and stepped back.

The fight was over.

And Ellie was the one who gave up.

*~*~*

Tatiana only allowed the ambulance to be called after Ellie signed the documents handing the company over to her. Ellie had never signed anything faster in her life.

After the ambulance took Buster and Gideon to the hospital, Tatiana had gloated in the clearing. She had demanded that Val’s pack follow her.

They refused.

The wolves stood their ground firmly. She had violated the rules and they would not follow a fraud leader. Tatiana might have pushed the matter, but some of her own wolves seemed to agree. Many had run off. Many looked like they would abandon the pack. So, scarlet with embarrassment and anger, Tatiana had snarled that the company was now legally hers and stormed off. Some of her wolves followed her. Others gathered their hurt friends and limped off in opposite directions.

As soon as that was done, Ellie sent Fritz’s sub-pack – mostly unharmed – back to her apartment to check on Dom and Robbie. DeeDee went with them.

The rest of the pack hurried to the hospital.

The night was hard.

Buster was stitched up. Thankfully, he didn’t need a blood transfusion. He was put in a big, private room – paid for by Gideon – on an IV drip. He was unconscious. The rest of the pack got in the room and refused to leave. The nurse was appalled but one growl from Ellie had her scuttling away.

The pack stayed in the hospital room all night, keeping watch over Buster.

*~*~*

Ellie leaned against Buster’s bed in the dark, bandaged arms crossed over her chest. No one had bothered to turn the light on. Everyone stood or sat apart from each other, in their own heads, scared to touch or to speak. The room was completely silent until Ellie finally spoke, very quietly, ‘’I’m sorry. We lost.’’

‘’You saved his life,’’ Gideon said. He was standing on the other side, calm and composed now.

Ellie looked bitterly at her shoes, ‘’he wouldn’t have needed saving if I just handed Tatiana the company.’’

‘’No one blames you for fighting,’’ Raphael said gently.

‘’You were fighting for your pack and your work, the things you’ve worked hard for,’’ Val said. She had stood by the doors but now she came over to Ellie. She surprised everyone when she took her hand and squeezed it, ‘’and we all chose to fight with you.’’

Ellie’s shoulders finally slumped. She couldn’t alpha anymore that day. She leaned her forehead on Val’s shoulder.

After that, they all migrated to each other.

*~*~*

‘’Here,’’ Art brought the first aid kit over to where Jed sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. He was scratched up, as if he’d been in a fight with ten pissed off cats. He was still only in the tank top and cargo pants, stained with blood and sweat. He looked utterly exhausted but he had refused to leave the hospital room, like everyone else. Art set the kit down and knelt by Jed. The teacher didn’t protest when Art got a wad of cotton, soaked in antiseptic, and started dabbing at his face, ‘’aren’t you cold?’’ Art asked quietly.

Jed just winced when Art swiped the cotton ball across a gash on his brow.

‘’You were very brave today,’’ Art whispered, concentrating on Jed’s scratches and not his face.

‘’So were you,’’ Jed murmured. Art had never seen him so exhausted, ‘’if you didn’t come, we’d all be dead, most likely.’’

Art shuddered, despite himself. He didn’t want to think about it, ‘’don’t say that,’’ he whispered, dabbing at Jed’s cheek. Jed just stared at Buster in the dark, ‘’are you...okay?’’

‘’Just a little banged up.’’

‘’No, I mean...like. Mentally,’’ Art remembered how freaked out he’d been after his first street fight, where he’d bottled a guy over the head. He’d been shaking all night.

Finally, Jed turned his ice-clear blue eyes to Art, ‘’it’s just...it was...’’ he sighed and leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes briefly, ‘’I’d never been in a fight before. And it was terrifying, the amount of times I thought that someone fighting at my side was going to die. How many times I thought I would kill one of the wolves. It was...just really fucking scary...’’ he laughed quietly, and it sounded like he was three seconds away from having a mental breakdown.

He was shell shocked. How had Art not realised?

Art got up and went to the stack of blankets Ellie had appropriated from the hospital warden. He took the top one and returned to Jed, throwing it gently over his shoulders. Jed looked at him with mild surprise as Art made sure he was bundled up. Then, he put his hands on his shoulders and leaned in close, so that their noses were nearly touching, ‘’you didn’t kill anyone,’’ Art said, very quietly, but firmly, ‘’and none of us died. And if this ever happens again, you won’t kill anyone. And none of us will die. You saw today that we can fight and protect each other without taking lives. And maybe that won’t be true, not always, but for now it is. So just believe that, okay?’’

Jed stared at Art and for a second, Art wasn’t sure what kind of emotion was swimming in his eyes. And then he pin-pointed it.

Awe.

Slowly, Jed’s brows furrowed and the awe turned to heartbreaking sadness, ‘’you’re only eighteen, Arthur,’’ he whispered, ‘’how are you so calm about this?’’

Art shrugged, looking away. He wasn’t used to having people be sad in his place, ‘’some of us just experience these things earlier,’’ he leaned forward and pressed a quick, reassuring kiss to Jed’s forehead, ‘’rest, okay?’’ he went to get up but Jed’s hand shot out and he grabbed Art’s wrist.

‘’Wait,’’ Jed said quickly and then...he blushed? Art couldn’t be sure in the darkness, ‘’just...can you...stay close?’’

‘’Werewolf thing?’’ Art guessed.

‘’Let’s go with that.’’

It was a strange reply and Art wanted to pry, but Jed just looked so tired...so Art just sat down by him, leaning against the wall, and glanced at Buster. He was still unconscious. Gideon knelt by the bed, cradling Buster’s hand in both of his.

Art suddenly felt the warm blanket drape over his shoulders. He glanced at Jed, surprised, but Jed wasn’t looking at him. He was staring into space, deep in thought. Art realised how gorgeous he was. Even with all the scratches, his profile was perfect – crystal blue eyes, dark hair, perfect cheekbones, a full, sensual mouth... Art quickly looked away, pulling the blanket that now encased both of them tighter around himself.

And so they sat like that all night, bundled up together, not talking, shoulders touching, drinking in each other’s presence.

*~*~*

Fritz sat against the bottom of Buster’s bed, leaning against the plastic poster. He had his knees drawn up to his nose. Raphael was sitting opposite him, leaning against the wall. They were both banged up, but nothing serious. Raphael’s long legs were stretched in front of him, on either side of Fritz, but he wasn’t touching him. He was giving Fritz space. Gus, who sat by Raphael, kept casting worried glances at Fritz until the omega buried his face in his knees.

How had it all gone so wrong?

Buster was unconscious and hurt. Even with werewolf healing, it would be at least a day before he woke up.

Ellie had lost her company and with it, Val lost her job.

And now everyone knew he was an omega – a runt, a weakling. How could he lead his sub-pack, how could he look anyone in the eye, when they all knew that?

He was spiralling into despair when suddenly there was a hand in his hair. He looked up, surprised, and found Alex leaning over him. With one hand, he was holding onto the bed, keeping himself up. He’d gone off to get his mauled leg checked out and now it was bandaged all the way up to his knee. Alex’s other hand was in Fritz’s dreadlocks and he was smiling gently down at him, ‘’we knew, Fritz,’’ he whispered, ‘’we all knew, and we don’t care. It doesn’t change anything.’’

And that was all it took.

Fritz’s voice wobbled, ‘’really?’’

‘’Really,’’ Alex said gently.

Fritz glanced at the two boys opposite him. Gus just shrugged and gave him a sweet smile.

And Raphael opened his arms.

Feeling relieved, just from a few simple words from Alex, Fritz crawled forward and into Raphael’s lap, letting his mate encase him in an embrace. Fritz rested his cheek on Raphael’s chest and felt sleepiness come over him.

Gus pressed himself against Alex’s side and touched the top of his bandages gently, ‘’what did the doctor say?’’

‘’Nothing’s broken,’’ Alex whispered, putting an arm around Gus, ‘’it got pretty shredded but it’s already healing. I should be fine tomorrow.’’

‘’Good,’’ Gus pressed a brief kiss to Alex’s cheek.

Alex sighed and leaned their foreheads together, ‘’I’m sorry. I was meant to protect you, and yet you ended up protecting me.’’

‘’Don’t be old fashioned,’’ Gus murmured with a smile and pinched his cheek playfully, ‘’we protect each other.’’

Alex bumped their noses together, ‘’I’m sorry I made you hold a gun.’’

‘’You didn’t make me do anything,’’ Gus said seriously, touching his fingers to the bandage on Alex’s throat, ‘’hey. You think I’m such an innocent little goof, but I’ve held a gun before. I’ve fired a gun before. It wasn’t the first time and it probably won’t be the last.’’

Alex sighed. The thought of Gus having to protect himself with a gun made him want to hide him away somewhere in the countryside, with only sheep and the wind for company. But he knew Gus was right. He wasn’t all that innocent and he wasn’t all that powerless, ‘’I’m just glad you’re safe,’’ he murmured.

Gus smiled at him and leaned forward. Alex smiled back and connected their lips, already starting to feel better.

*~*~*

Jamie had been sitting in the corner of the room by himself, deep in thought, when he felt a finger brush against his bare arm. He shrugged Diego off but the hand returned, caressing his skin, ‘’fuck off,’’ Jamie grumbled, shrugging Diego off again.

‘’You’re upset,’’ Diego observed quietly.

‘’I’m not,’’ Jamie grumbled, ‘’just working off the adrenaline.’’

‘’Jamie-‘’

‘’Leave me alone.’’

Diego crouched down over him, leaning in close, ‘’are we back to how we were?’’ he seemed sad, ‘’with you not talking to me, not looking at me...’’

Jamie gave him an irritated look, ‘’I just need my space, okay?’’

‘’Okay,’’ Diego said. He brushed a blond wave behind Jamie’s ear, ‘’I know you do. But letting yourself be comforted isn’t showing weakness. Letting other people take care of you isn’t weakness,’’ he hesitated, ‘’letting me make sure you’re okay isn’t a weakness, alright?’’

Jamie chewed on the inside of his cheek. He glanced around the room. He clearly wasn’t ready to let anyone else know about how his and Diego’s relationship had changed. Diego found himself smiling softly at his stubbornness, despite the dire situation the pack found themselves in, ‘’space. Got it,’’ Diego kissed the top of Jamie’s head quickly, ‘’get some rest,’’ he stood and went over to the unoccupied guest armchair, sinking into it. Every muscle ached. He needed some rest himself.

Jamie glanced around the room, putting his arms around himself. Everyone was preoccupied with their mates. And, as much as he hated to admit, Diego being close had made him feel better. Safer. Less guilty about being useless when his friend was getting hurt.

For an hour, he sat alone, trying to ignore the yearning for Diego’s presence.

Eventually, he glanced around again. Art and Jed were asleep against each other. Fritz and Gus were taking a nap, pressed against Raphael and Alex, who talked quietly. Gideon was staring intently at Buster’s face, holding his hand. Val and Ellie talked quietly in the corner.

Slowly, unable to take it anymore, Jamie stood and picked his way over to Diego. He was asleep, exhausted after the fight in which he had been the main barrelling force. Jamie felt guilt grip his heart. He hadn’t even asked if Diego was okay. He didn’t even have a sweater or anything. Jamie went after Art’s example, grabbing a blanket, and, before he could talk himself out of it, he crawled into Diego’s lap. Diego stirred, ‘’look who decided to join me,’’ he murmured, amused and sleepy.

Jamie settled between Diego’s legs on the armchair, ‘’brought you a blanket,’’ he grumbled.

‘’How sweet of you,’’ Diego teased. He took the blanket and put it around both of them. Underneath it, he took Jamie into his arms. Jamie sat, stiff and silent, for a while, before finally giving in. He rested his cheek on Diego’s chest and closed his eyes. One of his hands came to stroke Diego’s arm, wrapped around his waist. It was the only gesture of comfort Jamie could offer.

He felt Diego brush a kiss against his forehead, ‘’sleep, Jamie,’’ he whispered.

Jamie snuggled closer to him and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo so if anyone wants to read some more of my stories, you can check out my p-you-know-what. Link below!
> 
> The stories include:  
>  \- completed Lirim & next chapter of Bay Street
> 
> \- Two 'bride of war' stories, set in a WW2 universe where soldiers can sponsor omegas back at home as their 'brides' in return for a home and family if they return from war. Story 1 is about a London boy who eagerly awaits the arrival of General Hugo Speltzer, his husband. Story 2 is about a farmer in America, taking care of an orphaned child and dreading the return of a husband whom he'd never met. (Story names: The Bride of War & American Sweetheart)
> 
> \- A story about an ex-mafia kid, engaged to a man serving a life sentence. After an accident that leaves him wheelchair-bound, he leaves his dangerous family and life behind. He thinks he got away from it all - until his would-be husband is released from prison and comes looking for him, set on the marriage. (Story name: Kicking Ass and Other Extreme Sports)
> 
> \- A prison story, featuring multiple pairings - cop x prisoner, prisoner x prisoner etc. (story name: Maximum Security)
> 
> \- A 1920s omegaverse AU about a rich, American socialite who finds out his mate is...a poor Irish kid with a multitude of siblings and no idea about etiquette. (story name: Rhapsody in Blue)
> 
> \- A story about the Tsar of Russia, who falls in love with a strange boy with wings, purchased from a circus. (story name: the Tsar's Angel)
> 
> \- Two stories set in the universe of mermaids at war with the Kraken. After being saved by a beautiful merman, a Kraken General is set on proving that the two can mate and live in harmony. Story 2 is a sequel featuring two characters from story 1. Warning: tentacles involved! (story names: The Tale of the Bottomless Blue & The City of Peace)
> 
> \- A short, cute oneshot about a rich kid falling in love with his android bodyguard (story name: Wires)
> 
> \- A darker story about a 'perfect' suburban couple who kidnap a homeless ex-detective to become their pet (story name: Picket Fences, Barbed Wire)
> 
> \- A story about an elf warrior falling in love with a human cook at the palace, and being way too awkward to confess. Good if you're a sucker for major height/size difference! (story name: The Boy and the Warrior)
> 
> \- A girl on girl story about a post-apocalyptic world where a couple hundred survivors live in an abandoned train in the middle of nuclear winter. The closer to the front of the train you live, the higher your status, but when a dangerous plot is uncovered, a cold, ruthless huntress from the back of the train and a sheltered, young girl from the front will have to join forces to save each other (story name: The Last Train to Kremnica)
> 
> NEW MPREG OMEGAVERSE STORY!!! 
> 
> \- Of Monsters and Parisians; omega Adrien, who doesn't fit into the feminine omega bracket in modern-day Paris, is transported to an ancient civilisation of the Kykvendi: vikings with the ability to transform into horrifying monsters. Adherbal is an outsider in the tribe. Despite being an alpha, his pretty monster-form makes him a laughing stock. He enjoys his solitude...until he lays his eyes on Adrien, screaming his head off upon coming across his fellow tribesmen.   
> Its quite a nice, light read with just a tad of angst. 
> 
> In progress: a time-travelling fic, focusing on a man who lost his lover, and is desperate to be reunited with him in a different universe. 
> 
> CHECK THEM ALL OUT HERE!:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> If you don't have facebook, drop your email in the comments and I'll email you the link ^_^
> 
> All the love & thanks for your support :*


	30. The Story of You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiee kids. Soooo...if you want to check out my other page for the link to the next chapter, you can do so below!   
> The page also has some fanart and tiers that allow you to request stories and such.   
> The stories available there for only $1: 
> 
> \- Two 'bride of war' stories, set in a WW2 universe where soldiers can sponsor omegas back at home as their 'brides' in return for a home and family if they return from war. Story 1 is about a London boy who eagerly awaits the arrival of General Hugo Speltzer, his husband. Story 2 is about a farmer in America, taking care of an orphaned child and dreading the return of a husband whom he'd never met. (Story names: The Bride of War & American Sweetheart)
> 
> \- A story about an ex-mafia kid, engaged to a man serving a life sentence. After an accident that leaves him wheelchair-bound, he leaves his dangerous family and life behind. He thinks he got away from it all - until his would-be husband is released from prison and comes looking for him, set on the marriage. (Story name: Kicking Ass and Other Extreme Sports)
> 
> \- A prison story, featuring multiple pairings - cop x prisoner, prisoner x prisoner etc. (story name: Maximum Security)
> 
> \- A 1920s omegaverse AU about a rich, American socialite who finds out his mate is...a poor Irish kid with a multitude of siblings and no idea about etiquette. (story name: Rhapsody in Blue)
> 
> \- A story about the Tsar of Russia, who falls in love with a strange boy with wings, purchased from a circus. (story name: the Tsar's Angel)
> 
> \- Two stories set in the universe of mermaids at war with the Kraken. After being saved by a beautiful merman, a Kraken General is set on proving that the two can mate and live in harmony. Story 2 is a sequel featuring two characters from story 1. Warning: tentacles involved! (story names: The Tale of the Bottomless Blue & The City of Peace)
> 
> \- A short, cute oneshot about a rich kid falling in love with his android bodyguard (story name: Wires)
> 
> \- A darker story about a 'perfect' suburban couple who kidnap a homeless ex-detective to become their pet (story name: Picket Fences, Barbed Wire)
> 
> \- A story about an elf warrior falling in love with a human cook at the palace, and being way too awkward to confess. Good if you're a sucker for major height/size difference! (story name: The Boy and the Warrior)
> 
> \- A girl on girl story about a post-apocalyptic world where a couple hundred survivors live in an abandoned train in the middle of nuclear winter. The closer to the front of the train you live, the higher your status, but when a dangerous plot is uncovered, a cold, ruthless huntress from the back of the train and a sheltered, young girl from the front will have to join forces to save each other (story name: The Last Train to Kremnica)
> 
> NEW MPREG OMEGAVERSE STORY!!!
> 
> \- Of Monsters and Parisians; omega Adrien, who doesn't fit into the feminine omega bracket in modern-day Paris, is transported to an ancient civilisation of the Kykvendi: vikings with the ability to transform into horrifying monsters. Adherbal is an outsider in the tribe. Despite being an alpha, his pretty monster-form makes him a laughing stock. He enjoys his solitude...until he lays his eyes on Adrien, screaming his head off upon coming across his fellow tribesmen.  
> Its quite a nice, light read with just a tad of angst.
> 
> In progress: a time-travelling fic, focusing on a man who lost his lover, and is desperate to be reunited with him in a different universe.
> 
> CHECK THEM ALL OUT HERE!:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> If you don't have facebook, drop your email in the comments and I'll email you the link ^_^
> 
> All the love & thanks for your support :*

48 hours after the fight, Gus and Alex were back in Alex’s hostel room. They were fresh after sex, lying on top of the covers in just their underwear. Gus was splayed atop his mate, tracing patterns into his chest. Alex had his arm thrown over Gus and was dozing off a little. Gus was deep in thought. Now that the New Year was well and truly underway, the date of Alex’s dispatch was creeping up on them. Gus knew how much Alex wanted to be a proper soldier and he’d never try to cap his dreams. But it hurt, every time Gus thought about it. How in less than six months, Alex would be gone, for years on end. How they wouldn’t be able to do this – lay together and soak in each other’s presence – all the time anymore.

Gus buried his face in Alex’s chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. There was another thing plaguing his mind. An idea that had blossomed a while ago and had since been flitting around his head. Slowly, Gus pulled himself up and straddled Alex, slowly, so that the boy didn’t wake up. Then he leaned over him, peering at his face. He looked like a god when awake and like an angel when asleep, golden hair splayed on the pillow. Gus had to stop for a moment just to admire him. Then, his curiosity finally getting the best of him, he poked his fingers against Alex’s lips and drew them back to reveal his teeth. He’d kind of thought that maybe his canines would be elongated, like a wolf’s. He’d never really paid attention before. But, no. Gus was met with a row of pearly whites; nothing supernatural about that.

Suddenly, Alex opened his mouth and bit down playfully on one of Gus’ fingers, ‘’what are you doing?’’ he murmured sleepily, opening his green eyes. He found Gus hovering above him and smiled, reaching up to cup his cheek, ‘’that’s a nice view to wake up to,’’ he sat up, shifting Gus properly into his lap. His hands went automatically to Gus’ hips to stroke there gently, ‘’why were you checking out my teeth?’’ he chuckled, ‘’not that I mind, but it is slightly weird.’’

Gus nudged his nose against Alex’s affectionately, ‘’just wanted to know if they’re elongated at all,’’ he brushed his finger against Alex’s lips, ‘’I assume you don’t bite your mates in wolf form.’’

Alex pressed a sweet kiss to Gus’ fingertip, ‘’what’s the sudden interest with bites?’’

‘’I want you to bite me.’’

Alex froze. His eyes snapped open, ‘’you what?’’

‘’Raphael and Buster are changed,’’ Gus said quietly.

‘’Buster was changed by accident and Raphael...well, Raphael’s mate isn’t leaving in six months,’’ Alex looked away bitterly.

‘’I just...’’

‘’Look, the shift from human to werewolf is pretty difficult. I was just changed last year. I couldn’t teach you properly.’’

Gus chewed the inside of his cheek, ‘’there’s Ellie-‘’

‘’It’s a bad idea, Gus. Now’s not a good time.’’

Gus nodded stiffly. He was shocked. He hadn’t expected Alex to flat out refuse him. A part of him – the dark part – let black thoughts fill his head. Maybe Alex didn’t think Gus was strong enough to be changed. Maybe he didn’t want to change him because that would finalise their relationship and-

‘’I should go,’’ Gus said softly, slipping off Alex and picking up his jumper.

Alex scrambled off the bed, ‘’what? But...hey,’’ Gus pulled on his jumper and Alex grabbed his arm gently, ‘’don’t be mad,’’ he whispered pleadingly.

‘’I’m not,’’ Gus shook his head and gave Alex an unconvincing smile, ‘’I just have an early morning-‘’

‘’I don’t want to make permanent changes to your life,’’ Alex said suddenly, taking Gus’ face in his hands, ‘’because I’m not a permanent part of it. It wouldn’t be fair.’’

‘’You are,’’ Gus said sharply, ‘’you are permanent. You’re not going away forever.’’

Alex gave Gus a sad look and for the first time the human saw how hard the whole situation was on Alex, too. He stroked Gus’ cheeks, ‘’you’re right. But I’m going to be away for a long while, so...’’ he sighed, looked away. Then back down at Gus, ‘’I could just stay-‘’

Gus’ hand shot out and clamped over Alex’s mouth, ‘’don’t say that!’’ he said heatedly. His eyes softened and he moved his hand to cup Alex’s cheek, too. He wanted more than anything to be with him all the time. But he also wanted Alex to be happy, ‘’you don’t have to choose between me and your dreams, okay? I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’ll be right here, waiting for you to come home.’’

Gus wondered if he imagined Alex’s eyes go a bit glassy before he closed them to kiss Gus’ forehead, ‘’I love you,’’ he murmured.

Gus’ breath caught. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to hearing that said so soulfully, ‘’I love you, too.’’

‘’I’ll think about it,’’ Alex murmured against Gus’ hair, pulling him in for a proper hug, ‘’about changing you. Just give me some time, okay?’’

‘’’Kay,’’ Gus agreed, burying his face in Alex’s chest.

*~*~*

When he passed out on the battlefield, Buster didn’t know what to expect if he woke up.

He certainly hadn’t expected to wake in a soft, comfortable bed feeling completely healed.

He blinked, groggy. He didn’t know where he was, but he was going to make the most of it. He buried his face in the pillow, inhaling...

Gideon.

Buster’s eyes snapped open. The pillow smelled like Gideon – like flowers, cologne and incense. He sat up, quickly, and finally his head gave an annoyed pound. He looked around. He was in a nice bedroom with big windows. The bed he was in was huge, the covers white. There was a canopy ready to fall to hide the occupant. A flat screen TV hung opposite the bed. There was a low, long white shelf unit, atop which were dozens of trinkets from around the world. A bejewelled Indian elephant; a tiny bottle of Sangria with a Spanish sombrero hat; a blue-and-white pot from Amsterdam; incense sticks from Bali; a jar of thyme honey from Crete, Bohemian glass from Prague, tastefully arranged around a photo frame...

Slowly, Buster got out of the bed. He half expected his legs to buckle under him but his body seemed mostly healed. He made his way over to the shelf unit and picked up the photo frame. When compared to all the wondrous things scattered around the top of the shelf from around the globe, the photo was surprisingly homey. It showed a nice, suburban garden, presumably in the werewolf district. On it was a man and a woman, both rather old but grinning wide, their arms around five kids. There were two girls and three boys, and Buster immediately pin-pointed Gideon. He was young, maybe ten years old, and his hair hadn’t been bleached yet. His skin was startlingly pale against the black mop atop his head. He was grinning wide, showing a missing tooth. He looked...surprisingly adorable. Buster quickly put the frame down.

He walked to the doors, opened them and peeked outside. There was a short corridor leading to a staircase. Buster looked down at himself to check if he was looking presentable. He was wearing Gideon’s t-shirt and shorts, both of which were too long but otherwise fit okay. He slipped out into the corridor, confused as to why he was at Gideon’s apartment, and went downstairs, from where Gideon’s scent intensified. The staircase opened onto another short corridor and Buster followed Gideon’s scent to an open doorway. He walked into what seemed to be a livingroom, with couches, another TV, a coffee table and Gideon, sitting in an armchair and tapping away at his laptop. He looked up when he saw Buster enter and jumped up, putting his laptop down, ‘’Mickey! You’re awake!’’

‘’Hey,’’ Buster said quietly, ‘’um...why am I here?’’

‘’Ah, you were healing pretty quickly overnight, so we didn’t want to keep the bed occupied,’’ Gideon walked to Buster, took his hand and led him out of the livingroom and into the kitchen. Buster didn’t realise how cold he was until Gideon touched him and his whole body warmed, ‘’I figured you’d be most comfortable here.’’

‘’You have a nice place,’’ Buster said as Gideon indicated for him to sit at the marble-top counter as he set about preparing tea.

‘’Thanks,’’ Gideon gave Buster an uncertain smile. Buster realised how much more open Gideon was now. Before, he’d just been some rich, cold asshole. But now, he was quick to smile and he was openly showing his care. It had felt as if his walls had been high and impenetrable but in reality, they were just a little fence, ‘’how do you feel? You were pretty banged up, but once they gave you some meds, you healed pretty quickly.’’

‘’I just have a bit of a headache,’’ Buster looked down at his arms. There were no signs of claw marks or bites. He watched Gideon prepare tea, knowing he was delaying asking the important question. When the cup was finally set in front of him, Buster wrapped his hands around it and took a deep breath, ‘’did we win?’’

Gideon hesitated, ‘’Ellie’s sister cheated, so she couldn’t demand much. The Winter pack refused to follow her or give up territory. But...’’ Gideon glanced at Buster, ‘’she wouldn’t let anyone call an ambulance for you. So Ellie signed over her company.’’

Buster paled. He gripped his cup harder to stop the trembling of his fingers, ‘’so...’’ he said slowly, ‘’Ellie lost everything because of me.’’

He jumped in surprise when suddenly Gideon’s finger was under his chin, tilting his head back to look at him, ‘’it wasn’t your fault,’’ Gideon said quietly, intently, ‘’everyone was hurt. If Ellie hadn’t given in, her sister would have ordered a blood bath. You just happened to need the ambulance the most,’’ Gideon’s fingers flitted up to brush some strands of brown hair out of Buster’s eyes, a little stiffly, a little awkwardly, but affectionately nonetheless, ‘’and we were all glad you were safe,’’ only then he noticed the worry and pain and care in Gideon’s eyes.

Buster’s throat went dry and his heart erratic. No one had ever looked at him like _that_ , ‘’s-sorry to make you worry.’’

Gideon just said, ‘’stay here for a while. Gather your strength.’’

Only then did Buster pick up on the shift between them. Their relationship, it felt...different. More intimate, somehow. Maybe it had began to change at New Year’s, when Gideon and Buster finally put their differences aside. But the close-death-call had somehow sped that shift up. Now, Gideon was close, touching Buster slightly, and Buster _didn’t want him to stop_ , ‘’I have a room in the pack house.’’

Gideon closed his eyes briefly, pained, and dropped his hand, ‘’actually...Tatiana confiscated Ellie’s company, and since the pack house was bought on the company’s credit, she’s taken it, too. Her pack lives there now,’’ he shrugged sadly, ‘’I got all your stuff out.’’

Buster groaned softly, ‘’this is so messed up.’’

‘’I know.’’

‘’How is Fritz’s lot doing? Do they have a place to stay?’’ Buster asked.

‘’For now, Ellie’s rented them a different house, but, well...’’ Gideon sighed and set about wiping the counter, just to have something to do, ‘’she’s jobless now. We’ll need to find a more permanent solution before she eats through all her savings,’’ he glanced at Buster, his green eyes like two gems, ‘’that’s why stay here for now, okay? At least until your building is reopened,’’ he turned around and tossed the rag he’d been wiping the counter in the corner. Then, very quickly, he added, ‘’or longer.’’

Buster blushed. He noticed how the tips of Gideon’s pale ears reddened, too, ‘’okay...’’ he whispered, ‘’thank you...’’

*~*~*

‘’Buster is okay. He’s woken up.’’

Art jumped as Jed’s breath ghosted his ear as he spoke. He’d been sitting on the couch at Jed’s place, reading through some of the extra material the teacher had given him, when Jed’s phone appeared in his line of vision. Art quickly got over his surprise and looked at the text message from Gideon. Something in him relaxed, ‘’thank fuck.’’

He expected Jed to go back up to his office, but the man came around and sat on the couch, picking up one of the books Art was going through, ‘’you started with Milton?’’ Jed raised an eyebrow, ‘’why go for the hardest one?’’

‘’Cause the rest will seem easy,’’ Art rubbed his eyes sleepily and closed _Paradise Lost_ , ‘’but this shit is a bore.’’

Jed’s mouth quirked up in a smile and he put the book of Shakespeare’s sonnets he’d been holding on the coffee table, ‘’literature often is, until you pick it apart,’’ he glanced at Art, ‘’I mean what I’ve said before, Art. You’re bright. You could go to university-‘’

‘’Stop,’’ Art groaned, putting _Paradise Lost_ away and stretching.

Jed tilted his head a little, curious, ‘’why do I have the feeling that no one has ever told you that you’re smart enough to actually do things?’’

Art rolled his eyes and gave him a look. He was feeling all uneven inside. Despite his annoyance at Jed’s insistence he study, he appreciated that he believed in him. He was the only one, ‘’I’m a stripper, Jed. I’m smart enough to know which way men want me to roll my hips when I’m on stage. And that’s all,’’ he stood to go.

Suddenly, there was a hand around his wrist and he was yanked back down onto the couch. He gave Jed a sharp, irritated look but Jed didn’t let go of his wrist, ‘’you weren’t born a stripper,’’ he said gently.

Art sighed, ‘’is this some kind of strategy to get me to talk about myself?’’

Jed adjusted his grip on Art’s wrist, ‘’I don’t know anything about you.’’

Art looked away, ‘’you don’t need to,’’ he said. He knew he should get up and go but Jed’s hand on his wrist felt good. Hot. Electrifying. Art felt pathetic at swooning over such small contact, but he couldn’t help it, ‘’you just need to know my surname, my student ID and my grade-‘’

‘’Art,’’ Jed sighed, ‘’I know I messed up. I didn’t...I didn’t mean to say things like that. I didn’t mean to say most of those things.’’

Art rubbed his face tiredly, ‘’I know,’’ he mumbled. Of course he knew. Jed liked to pretend like they were strictly student-teacher, but they were so much more. They were mates. And had Art just been Jed’s students, no matter how bright, he wouldn’t be living with him in the loft, sleeping in his bed while he took the couch. They wouldn’t have fallen asleep against each other in the hospital. Jed wouldn’t have asked him to stay by his side that night, shaken up after the fight. Art bit his lip and finally removed his hands from his face, ‘’I was an accident baby. My mom was sixteen. She hooked up with a high school boyfriend and the moment he heard that he was going to have a kid, he dipped. My mom was from a religious background; her parents threatened to kick her out if she had an abortion.’’

Jed stiffened next to Art and the boy gave him a sad look, ‘’what? Expected a happy story?’’

Jed sighed and reached out. He brushed Art’s ash-blond hair out of his eyes and tucked it behind his ear. It was a small, comforting gesture and Jed had no idea how much it mattered to Art, ‘’go on,’’ he requested softly.

Art sighed, ‘’my mom had me. She dropped out of high school, moved out. From then on, it was a series of boyfriends. We had a tiny council flat and every time she hooked up with someone, I had to sit in the corridor but, well...the walls were thin. My first ‘step-dad’ came when I was four, or something like that. Right son of a bitch,’’ Art hadn’t wanted to go into detail but Jed’s hand hovered near him, elbow resting on the couch back. His fingers brushed against Art’s neck or shoulder or back, once in a while, and it made Art want to spill all his secrets to his mate, ‘’he beat her. I found out later that he also put drugs in my food, to knock me out so she wouldn’t have to put me to bed for ages. Social services got called once after a bad fight. They found the drugs in my system and took me out of that house.’’

‘’I was in the system for a couple months. It was a hell hole. My mom didn’t break up with asshole number one straight away, but when she finally did the social services let her take me back. I don’t know why she wanted me back in the first place. Sometimes I pretend it was because she maybe loved me a little bit. It was most likely the child support, though. Anyway...’’ Art sighed again and Jed, surprisingly, put his hand at the nape of his neck. It stayed there, constant and supportive, ‘’asshole number two came when I was nine. She had a thing for bad boys. She attracted the worst kind of scum. In between my two step fathers, she had plenty of hook-ups and short term boyfriends. Some of them were nice enough. They were all kind of a blur, though. They changed so often...’’

‘’Asshole number two had been in prison for sexual assault, but my mom didn’t care. He started touching me, randomly, sometimes,’’ Jed’s hand tightened suddenly on Art’s neck and Art quickly gave him a reassuring smile, ‘’don’t worry, it didn’t get far. Just a couple leers; sometimes he brushed his hand against my leg and stuff. I know now that it would have gone further, but thankfully he broke parole and got sent back to prison.’’

‘’Asshole number three lasted the longest. He came when I was eleven and stayed until I left. He was the worst. He hit her. I turned fourteen, started going to a job. Stayed out as long as I could. Didn’t want to be home. Ran away a couple of times, never for too long, though. I was too scared. Eventually, he started hitting me, too. At first he’d just shove me and smack me upside the head. But then...’’ Art chewed the inside of his cheek, ‘’well...by fifteen, I had to cover bruises and make up excuses for why my face was battered at school. I knew it wasn’t very effective and eventually social services would get interested again. I wasn’t going back into the system, though.’’

‘’A while after I turned sixteen, asshole number three beat me so hard I ended up in hospital. I was on an IV drip, wrist broken, ribs cracked and all that. A social worker was there when I woke up. She was all smiles and butterflies, telling me they’d put me in a nice foster home as soon as I got better,’’ Art snorted bitterly, ‘’yeah, right. That night I ran, from that hospital. Went home. Sneaked in through the window, grabbed all my stuff. My mom must have heard me clambering around our flat. She didn’t care. Didn’t come say goodbye. I didn’t care either, to be honest.’’

‘’That was two years ago, nearly three. I didn’t really have anywhere to go, but I had some money saved up. I got on the first bus out of town. I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was in this city,’’ Art shrugged, ‘’and here I stayed. I found the guys on Bay Street and, surprisingly,’’ he smiled a little, genuinely this time, ‘’I’m happy now.’’

Suddenly, Jed’s arm was around his waist, twisting him round till they were face to face. Art shoved a finger in Jed’s face, ‘’don’t you dare feel sorry for me.’’

‘’It’s kind of hard not to,’’ Jed whispered and Art groaned, but then Jed murmured, ‘’I just wished it hadn’t happened. I wish...I wish that maybe we’d met sooner. That I could have...protected you sooner,’’ the last part was mumbled, almost like Jed was embarrassed saying it.

Art couldn’t help the endeared smile that lit up his face, ‘’hey,’’ he flicked Jed’s forehead, ‘’if all that shit hadn’t happened, then maybe we wouldn’t have met at all.’’

Suddenly Jed raised his eyes and gazed into Art’s. The icy blue, so warm in that moment, made Art’s heart stutter, ‘’I’m glad we did,’’ Jed murmured. He tilted his head and kissed Art’s cheek, ‘’get some sleep. You’ve done well with your studies tonight,’’ he gazed at Art again and this time there was a slight smile on his face, ‘’I think you’re smart enough to go places. To do things. So from now on, you’ll be working your ass off to get there.’’

Art couldn’t help but grin, ‘’whatever you say, _sir_.’’

*~*~*

Jamie came out of the shower to find Diego on his phone in bed, ‘’Buster woke up,’’ he informed the blond, ‘’he’s alright. Nearly fully healed.’’

‘’That’s good,’’ Jamie said. He hadn’t doubted Buster’s ability to heal from the moment the meds were administered and he actually started doing it. Jamie crawled into bed in his new PJs that Diego got him and dumped himself under the covers. They were so soft and warm...completely unlike the tiny hut atop the last building on Bay Street. He snuggled into his pillow, ‘’hey, Diego?’’

‘’Uh-hum?’’

‘’The full moon is coming up.’’

Jamie didn’t have to be a werewolf to feel Diego stiffen, ‘’...it is,’’ the cop said cautiously.

Jamie sat up and looked at Diego, ‘’I want to do it, Diego,’’ he said, straight forward and intense, because if he said it any other way, he’d crumble into an embarrassed, stuttering mess.

Diego’s eyes bulged out, ‘’Jamie! You’re only-‘’

‘’Seventeen,’’ Jamie scooted closer, ‘’I know, but,’’ he put his hand on Diego’s chest, knowing the wolf couldn’t resist his touch, ‘’we’ve already done it, Diego. And that kind of...ended bad. I don’t want to remember that as our only time for the next year,’’ he leaned in closer and nudged their noses together, ‘’plus, I want you to remember it this time,’’ he cupped Diego’s face, ‘’please?’’

Diego sighed, his defences crumbling. He couldn’t resist Jamie’s pleads, especially when he had a point, ‘’you’re surprisingly sweet when you want to be.’’

Jamie scoffed, pulled his hand away and lay down with a grumpy, ‘’your mom.’’

Diego chuckled and lay down behind him, flicking off the light. He wrapped an arm around Jamie’s waist, ‘’alright,’’ he whispered, ‘’whatever you want.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW MPREG OMEGAVERSE STORY!!!
> 
> \- Of Monsters and Parisians; omega Adrien, who doesn't fit into the feminine omega bracket in modern-day Paris, is transported to an ancient civilisation of the Kykvendi: vikings with the ability to transform into horrifying monsters. Adherbal is an outsider in the tribe. Despite being an alpha, his pretty monster-form makes him a laughing stock. He enjoys his solitude...until he lays his eyes on Adrien, screaming his head off upon coming across his fellow tribesmen.  
> Its quite a nice, light read with just a tad of angst.
> 
> In progress: a time-travelling fic, focusing on a man who lost his lover, and is desperate to be reunited with him in a different universe.
> 
> CHECK THEM ALL OUT HERE!:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> If you don't have facebook, drop your email in the comments and I'll email you the link ^_^
> 
> All the love & thanks for your support :*


	31. The Fifth Full Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya darlings!   
> If you're gonna read the list of stories offered at the bottom but you've seen it already, just read the last couple under 'NEW' - those are the newest ones you probably haven't seen yet! 
> 
> As always, thank you for your wonderful comments and support. I love you all!!

On the night of the full moon, Gus rolled up to Alex’s hotel to find that he wasn’t there. Deciding that he was probably still at the run, Gus sat on the edge of his mate’s bed. He tapped his fingers on the covers, looking around, trying to find something to entertain himself with while he waited. He eventually dumped himself backwards on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Soon bored, Gus sat up and sighed. He didn’t have a phone to call Alex with and, even if he was human, he was still getting pretty hot and bothered, knowing that he’d get to touch Alex all over tonight, and be touched in return. They hadn’t really had the time to be close recently, what with the fight and all the help Ellie needed with securing her territory. Finally, unable to just sit there and try to think about something else than Alex taking him into his arms and holding him through the whole night, Gus got up and walked to his closet.

He pulled out one of Alex’s t-shirts, glancing out of the window. The moon was round and silver and beautiful. Gus smiled at the sight of it. He was gripped by a desire to be out there, in the forest, running. It must feel so freeing. So invincible. Gus sighed and slipped into the bathroom; Alex wasn’t going to change him, at least not yet, and so Gus wasn’t going to torture himself by thinking about it. He closed the doors behind him, stripped off his clothes and slipped into the shower cabin.

He left the showerhead attached to the pipe, turning on the water and letting it pour over him like warm, comforting rain. He tilted his head up, letting the water run in rivulets down his face and hair and shoulders. He stood like that for a good couple of minutes, letting the water warm his skin. He let his mind go blank, let himself relax...

Suddenly, the lights flickered out. Gus gasped, seized by a moment of sheer panic. He whipped around in the dark shower cabin. For a second, he could only see the cabin doors, blurry with steam and dark from the lack of light. And then they were pulled back and there was his mate, ‘’Alex...’’ Gus exhaled, relieved, ‘’you scared me, I...’’

Unceremoniously, Alex stepped into the shower, still fully dressed. At least he’d taken off his shoes when he came in. His eyes were glowing gold faintly, short cropped golden hair looking dark in the dimness of the bathroom, ‘’Alex...’’ Gus murmured again, softer this time, inviting, opening his arms, ‘’you’re getting soaked.’’

Alex didn’t seem to care. He stepped right under the stream of warm water, tilted his head and kissed Gus. Gus melted into his embrace, kissing back, and it was almost like the movies, where the couple kisses in the rain except their rain was warm shower water and Alex was still fully clothed and...Gus chuckled, realising how funny the situation was, ‘’guess you were as impatient as me, huh?’’ he whispered affectionately against Alex’s lips, tugging up his soaked t-shirt. They stumbled around the cabin, yanking off the werewolf’s wet clothes and dumping them in heavy, soaked heaps on the floor.

Gus nearly managed to get Alex completely naked but the wolf lost patience before he could get his socks. He pinned Gus against the shower wall with his full body weight and it made Gus feel small and defenceless and, somehow, so, so turned on. Alex had never been this rough with him but apparently being away from each other while Alex helped clean up the Winter pack mess had impacted both of them. Without a warning, Alex grabbed Gus’ hips and hefted him up easily, pinning him against the wall again. Gus had no choice but to wrap his legs around Alex’s waist. Not that he particularly minded. He took his mate’s face in his hands, gazing down at his golden eyes. He loved the green of Alex’s eyes usually but this...this gold, glowing in the dark...seeing how much Alex wanted him...

‘’Do me...’’ Gus whispered heatedly. He didn’t know where that came from; he’d never been one for dirty talk. But he didn’t care because it worked. Alex growled softly and attacked his neck with ferocious kisses. Only a second later Gus felt Alex move into him. He whimpered in pleasure, nails digging into his back as he bit his lips. The hotel had thin walls and the bathroom echoed. Alex didn’t seem to care. It was as if he was doing everything and anything to get a reaction from his mate. He bit gently and kissed his neck and chest; he teased the sensitive area beneath his ears and around his nipples; he grabbed at Gus’ ass and thighs in a manner that was almost brutal, almost painful...

And Gus realised it was because of their talk. Because Gus had reminded Alex about his departure in June, about how they would be parted soon...and now it was resurfacing and it was making full-moon-impacted Alex more and more frantic, more and more desperate. His thrusts were quick and shallow, his mouth leaving marks anywhere it could on Gus’ body...

‘’H-hey...’’ Gus managed, trying to catch his breath while keeping back a pleasured moan. It was surprisingly hard, doing all that, while  the shower beat down on their heads. Gus pushed his forehead against’ Alex’s, ‘’it’s okay...’’ he breathed shakily, ‘’I’m...I-I’m not going anywhere...ah...’’ he buried his face in Alex’s shoulder, the pleasure threatening to overtake him.

But it seemed to work. Alex’s thrusts turned deeper, less messy, his arms held Gus firmly, but not painfully...Gus tangled his hand in Alex’s hair and came without a warning, biting down on Alex’s shoulder. Maybe it was subconscious revenge for Alex’s refusal to bite him. Or maybe Gus had just wanted to mark Alex, the same way the wolf had just marked him all over. Either way, Alex seemed to like it. He groaned and filled Gus to the brim.

For a long moment, they just stood there, Gus levitating against the wall where Alex still held him as they caught their breaths. Finally, Alex allowed Gus to gently slide to the ground and, with a slightly un-coordinated hand, reached out to turn off the water. Finally, he blinked, and his eyes returned to their normal green. For a long moment, he just stared at Gus, a slow, happy grin blossoming on his lips, ‘’hi,’’ he said breathlessly, soaking wet, ‘’did you wait for me?’’

Gus couldn’t help but beam at him, ‘’yeah,’’ he shuffled closer and Alex hugged him, kissing the tip of his nose.

Then, in a conspiratory whisper, he murmured, ‘’ready for round two?’’

Gus blushed but nudged his cheek with his freshly-kissed nose, ‘’always.’’

They slipped from the cabin. Gus wiggled into Alex’s t-shirt while the werewolf ventured into the bedroom to get himself dry clothes. Too late did Gus notice the wet footprints in the carpet, ‘’ah, sugar...ALEX, SOCKS!’’

*~*~*

Everything was dark.

Then blurry.

Then, finally, Diego blinked and everything came into focus. Or, rather, Jamie came into focus.

His first instinct was to panic. He remembered going on the pack run, coming home...and then nothing as the full moon gripped him. But then he also remembered something else – that he’d agreed to do this with Jamie, despite his reservations, because it was what they both wanted. He exhaled shakily, looking down at his mate, trying to assess the damage which...

There didn’t seem to be a lot of.

Jamie lay, soft and pliant and panting, underneath Diego, his small, pale body bare. Jamie wasn’t trying to cover himself; he was letting Diego see every part of him. His gorgeous blue eyes were glazed with lust and post-orgasm disorientation. His golden waves were splayed across the pillow, some falling into his eyes. His cheeks were flushed, his mouth parted and plump from kissing. And beneath all that, Diego was buried to the hilt in him and only now was he registering the blistering heat, the intense pleasure of being in his mate. Judging by how slick Jamie was down there, and by the amount of seed on his stomach, this was not the first or even second go of the night.

‘’Why’d you stop...?’’ Jamie asked, voice sweeter than Diego could have ever thought Jamie could sound. The boy looked up at Diego, registered his now-brown eyes. Realised he was conscious. Somehow, that made him flush harder. Impossibly intense arousal stirred in Diego’s gut and, without even thinking about it, he withdrew and then slammed all the way back in. Jamie cried out, hands twisting in the covers, his back arching. Diego reached out, grabbing his hips. He kept his touches gentle, slow, even as he ached to move again.

‘’A...a l-little warning next time...’’ Jamie panted out.

Diego leaned down and captured Jamie’s lips, feeling his entire being melt when the boy reached up, cupped his face and kissed him back. Diego pulled back long enough to whisper, ‘’warning,’’ before attacking Jamie’s lips again. At the same time, he drew back and thrust powerfully back into him. Jamie half-moaned, half-cried out against Diego’s mouth, the sound muffled, and as much as Diego wanted to hear it he also couldn’t bear to stop kissing his mate’s sweet lips. He reached down between them, grabbing Jamie’s erection and pumping in time with his thrusts.

Suddenly, Jamie grabbed Diego’s arm, his fingers digging in as he stuttered, ‘’I-I’m gonna...’’ and then, as he came all over his stomach, he cried out Diego’s name and Diego lost it. He came with a soft grunt, kissing Jamie’s neck over and over before pulling out.

For a while, he lay on top of Jamie, even though he was probably heavy, listening to his stuttering breathing return to normal. He buried his nose in his neck and inhaled his scent. Pastries and cigarettes and rich coffee. Diego couldn’t get enough of it. It could have been the scent or the full moon or the feeling of Jamie’s small, lithe body pressed against his that got him hard again. He rubbed his erection against Jamie’s stomach, too busy kissing his neck to voice his needs. Jamie chuckled softly, tiredly, ‘’when did you get so demanding?’’

Diego pulled back to look down at his mate, ‘’we don’t ha-‘’

‘’I’m just teasing,’’ Jamie whispered gently, with a soft smile. Diego could have gotten lost in that smile. He loved the fierce, easily irritable, snappy, boisterous Jamie. But this Jamie...this soft, pliant, giving Jamie that Diego was seeing for the first time, that no one else got to see, well...he loved this Jamie too. A lot. He just...

Loved Jamie.

But before he could tell him, Jamie rolled on top of him, pinning him down and Diego let himself stop thinking, instead reaching for his mate, wanting to hold him forever. To never let go.

*~*~*

Val was awoken by the ruckus of the pack returning from their run. Some of the younger kids from Fritz’s sub-pack were crashing in Ellie’s livingroom till she found them another pack house, and from the sounds of it they were running around the room. Val groaned and buried her face in her pillow, trying to drown out the sound. After a while, the noise died down and the doors to the bedroom creaked softly as Ellie slipped in. Val waited for the bed to shift as the alpha dumped herself upon it, as she often did, but the shift didn’t come. Instead, suddenly, the bed dipped on either side of Val and Ellie nuzzled her face into her neck. Val’s eyes shot open, ‘’E-E-Ellie?’’

‘’Hm?’’ Ellie nuzzled her face further into Val’s neck. It didn’t look like she knew what she was doing. She was just seeking out her mate on an instinctive level. Val put her hands on Ellie’s shoulders, groggy and confused, and pushed her back to peer in her face, searching for gold eyes but coming across only blue. Ellie looked tired, almost washed out, her eyes dim and weary, her complexion pale. Despite this, she was still startlingly beautiful. Her red hair, pooling down in waves, and those sea-blue eyes made her look like some sort of ethereal mermaid.

And that mermaid was looking at Val with a desperate, aching need to touch.

Val licked her lips nervously and Ellie’s gaze immediately darted to her mouth, ‘’y-you okay?’’ Val knew Ellie had been worn out, physically and mentally, by the fight and everything that came after. Guilt over Buster. Anger and helplessness at having to give up a company she had worked for her whole life. Desperation when Fritz and his sub-pack lost their home in the pack house. And, since then, a constant tirade of trying to find a job and housing for the others and managing her savings and... she was not okay.

So when Ellie leaned down and kissed Val out of the blue, Val didn’t push her off, despite being startled. Her muscles locked up automatically and then relaxed when Ellie cupped her cheek. Her kisses were soft, non-invasive. Just pecks, really. Ellie’s red hair fell on one side, like a curtain, hiding the two of them from the world. Val didn’t protest when Ellie cupped her face with her other hand, too, and started deepening the kisses. Val let her eyes flutter shut. Over the last weeks, months, she’d started thinking of Ellie as a friend, as someone she looked up to. This sudden change in dynamic was...strange. But, feeling a heat stir in her gut and a blush work its way onto her cheeks, Val wasn’t entirely sure if it was bad. But definitely strange. And fast.

Val made a little muffled noise of warning at the back of her throat when Ellie, still kissing her, traced her hand down her body. Val didn’t like to be touched romantically. She’d never liked it. It was like exposing your weaknesses, what felt good, places where you were sensitive...it made her feel vulnerable. She was an excellent fighter and that got her many admirers; she’d been with men before, and a couple girls, but never twice, and she’d never felt anything more for them than passing lust. She wasn’t a very sexual person and the sudden touch from Ellie, more than anything, made her weary and on guard.

Ellie tilted her head, placing the tiniest of kisses under Val’s ear as her hand ventured even lower and, without a warning, beneath the waistband of her sleeping shorts. Val stiffened, ‘’u-um...Ellie...’’ she felt Ellie’s long fingers brush against her and bit back a gasp, ‘’get your hand out of my underwear,’’ she managed instead in a tight voice.

Ellie paused and then withdrew her hand, ‘’sorry...’’ she said distractedly, getting off the bed.

Val rubbed her face in irritation. She wasn’t mad at Ellie, she was just...confused. And it was hard, letting someone in, especially if you weren’t sure if you wanted to. It was all happening too fast... ‘’I said to get your hand out,’’ she grumbled, ‘’I never told you that you had to leave. It’s your bed,’’ Val felt embarrassed, saying that, ‘’o-or whatever,’’ she finished, burying her face back in her pillow.

For a moment, she thought maybe Ellie wouldn’t come back. But then she felt the familiar dip in the bed as the woman lay down, ‘’sorry...’’ she whispered again.

‘’Its fine. It’s the full moon,’’ Val said quickly.

‘’Is it...?’’ Ellie’s voice was tiny. Val had never heard her sound so vulnerable. She could only imagine what she was going through, had been going through, for the last days.

Slowly, Val rolled over to look at Ellie. The alpha’s back was to her, red hair splayed, shoulders almost hunched. Val shuffled closer, just close enough for Ellie to feel the heat of her, and put her hand on Ellie’s back, ‘’just go to sleep,’’ she murmured, curling up in that spot. She kept her hand on Ellie’s back until the alpha fell asleep.

*~*~*

‘’...I seriously thought the avengers were going to win the whole time!’’ Buster exclaimed, his whole body twisted in the car to face Gideon.

Gideon gave him a look, hands on the steering wheel. They were riding through the forest, the trees obscuring the sky, making the road impossibly dark, ‘’oh, please. Thanos was way too powerful. And if starlord hadn’t decided to punch him-‘’

‘’He was heartbroken!’’ Buster protested.

‘’He was being an idiot,’’ Gideon countered, ‘’but...’’ he glanced at Buster and gave him a little smile, ‘’I did enjoy the movie.’’

‘’Ha! I knew you would,’’ Buster said, triumphal, settling properly in his seat. For a moment, he was silent, and then, with a smile, he said, ‘’thanks for taking me to see it. I...never have the time to go to a cinema,’’ or the money, he thought, but didn’t say.

‘’Honestly, me neither,’’ Gideon said, turning from the dirt road onto a proper one that ran through the thinner parts of the forest. The taller trees parted, exposing the sky once again.

And the huge full moon that had risen into it.

Gideon braked so hard Buster was slammed painfully into his seatbelt and then back against his seat, ‘’what the hell, Gideon?’’ he asked, shooting Gideon a look. He froze when he saw the terrified look on Gideon’s face as he stared up at the silver orb. Worried, Buster said softly, ‘’hey? Gideon? What’s wrong?’’

‘’The full moon...’’ Gideon whispered.

‘’Well, yes. I can see that.’’

‘’I forgot,’’ Gideon said and his voice cracked. He looked at Buster, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles went white, ‘’I forgot that it was today,’’ he’d been ignoring Ellie’s calls, too worried about Mickey’s recovery...

‘’Hey, it’s alright, its just-‘’

‘’Get out of the car,’’ Gideon said suddenly, sharply.

Buster blanched, ‘’what?’’

‘’Get out of the car.’’

‘’Gideon-‘’

Gideon reached out, yanked the doors open and left the car himself. Buster scrambled to follow him, slamming the car doors after him, ‘’Gideon!’’ Buster called, running up to him where he was pacing in front of the mask of the car, ‘’calm down, it’s only a full moon!’’

‘’No! No, it’s not!’’ Gideon yelled and he looked so terrified it made Buster feel...calm. Like he had to take charge.

He leaned against the mask of Gideon’s car, sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, ‘’what are you so freaked out about?’’

‘’I forgot,’’ Gideon said, quieter now, almost a whimper. He paced, not looking at Buster, hands raking his bleached hair, ‘’I forgot and I took you out and we were around each other all night-‘’

‘’Yeah. And nothing happened,’’ Buster said pointedly.

‘’But it could have!’’ Gideon whipped around to face his mate, ‘’don’t you see!? It could have! I could have...’’ he stopped, voice cracking, and looked down miserably, ‘’I could have hurt you again,’’ he whispered.

It hurt Buster, seeing Gideon so freaked out. He reached out, grabbed a fist-full of his jumper and yanked him forward against the mask of the car, between his legs. Buster let his legs hang loosely on either side of Gideon’s hips, looking up at him, ‘’it’s just a full moon,’’ he said gently. They’d skipped the run because Buster was only just freshly healed and even though he had the urge to run, he didn’t feel any different to normal, ‘’stop freaking out.’’

‘’No. No, I...’’ Gideon tried to step back but Buster yanked him back, close, so that his chin was practically nudging Gideon’s chest, ‘’please let go...’’ Gideon said in a terrified whisper.

‘’Don’t be scared,’’ Buster countered, and now he felt it. The stir. The need to protect his mate, even if he was the more dominant of the two of them. The need to protect his friend, ‘’I’m not.’’

‘’You should be.’’

‘’No,’’ Buster pulled Gideon down, so that he had no choice but to lean his hands on either side of Buster on the car mask or fall over, ‘’we’re past that.’’

Gideon squeezed his eyes shut and hung his head, ‘’please-‘’

‘’You weren’t impacted before,’’ Buster grabbed Gideon’s face, trying to anchor him to something, ‘’the full moon is exactly the same as when we were driving through the forest.’’

Gideon’s breath was speeding up, ‘’I can’t...’’ he managed, ‘’Mickey, stop touching me...’’

‘’Don’t be scared.’’

‘’I don’t want to hurt you-‘’

‘’You won’t.’’

‘’I can’t,’’ Gideon shook his head, eyes still shut tightly, ‘’please, just let go. Just let go and then...and then-‘’

Then he fell silent, head hanged low, and Buster realised how close he was, still leaning on the car mask, ‘’Gideon?’’ he asked uncertainly.

Slowly, Gideon raised his head and opened his eyes. Buster sucked in a breath.

They glowed gold.

And he’d just gotten himself into a whole lot of trouble.

Gideon stepped forward, pushing against Buster so that he fell backwards onto the car mask, half laying on it and half standing on the ground. Gideon hovered over him, face neutral, eyes blazing, hands caging Buster in. Buster’s heart was thundering hard in his chest. He didn’t dare breathe too loudly as Gideon studied him. He worried the boy would take him, right there and then, in the middle of the street. Or, worse...last time, Gideon hadn’t wanted sex. He’d just wanted to bite Buster, to turn him. He’d hurt him, then, and as much as Buster said he wouldn’t be afraid, he was. The air was thick with the smell of Gideon’s arousal, of his want, and Buster’s wolf picked up on it all, ‘’Gideon...’’ he whispered, voice trembling.

As soon as Gideon heard Buster’s voice, he surged forward, grabbing him and lifting him gently off the car mask. Buster hoped his eyes were back to normal, but they weren’t. They shimmered their predatory gold as Gideon slipped Buster into his seat and then went to the driver’s side, ‘’you can’t drive like this!’’ Buster protested, but Gideon just gunned the engine. Buster would have flown forward had Gideon’s arm not shot out, pinning him to the arm, ‘’Jesus, at least put your seat belt on!’’ Buster scrambled to do it for him when he got no response. Gideon was zooming through the streets and into the city, his face set in a terrifying, cold determination.

Finally, after a tense ten minutes, Gideon haphazardly parked the car in front of his apartment, ‘’you’re going to get a ticket,’’ Buster said, half-heartedly. Being locked in a small space with all of Gideon’s pheromones that he could now pick up on had made him feel woozy and weird.

Gideon didn’t react. He just got out of the car, walked around and scooped Buster into his arms, ‘’I can walk!’’ Buster protested, even as his heart began thundering again. Being so close to Gideon, he could smell him better. It was as if he was experiencing his emotions. Arousal, desire, protectiveness... Gideon shut the car with his foot and carried Buster inside the house. Buster’s hands went clammy with nerves. He had no idea what Gideon was going to do. Whether he’d hurt him again, or do something else... whether he could fight him off, being a werewolf now and all...

Gideon carried Buster all the way up to the bedroom where Buster finally managed to wiggle out of his grip. He immediately spotted the window, and the moonlight shining directly through it onto the floor. That couldn’t be good. He bolted straight for the window, reaching for the curtains...

And stopped.

As soon as he stepped into the patch of moonlight, his lower regions were flooded with heat and he was overtaken by _want_. For Gideon. His mate. The intensity of it made him take a stumbling step away from the window. _He’s your friend_ , he thought to himself fiercely. _You can’t fuck your friend, you can’t-_

As if to shut him up, another wave of heat went through him, this time through his whole body and he gasped, feeling his erection grow uncomfortable against the tight constraint of his underwear.

And suddenly Gideon’s heat, his scent, were behind him. Buster trembled as Gideon wrapped his arms around his middle, his lips skimming the shell of his ear, ‘’Mickey...’’ he whispered and Buster shivered again, his body subconsciously leaning into Gideon. And then he was letting himself be turned, and pushed onto the bed and then onto his back and then Gideon was there, hovering above him, his eyes such a pretty gold...

As Gideon’s hands slid over Buster’s hips, the boy arched into him. Suddenly, he didn’t care that this was his friend. He didn’t care about all the hurt Gideon had caused him. All he wanted was his mate, on top of him, in him, everywhere, just...

He reached up and Gideon took him in his arms. Buster nuzzled his nose in Gideon’s neck, inhaling his scent, breathing it in, and every breath made him want Gideon more. He felt like it was only a second, a blink, before both their clothes were off. Buster didn’t even feel embarrassed. He spread himself under Gideon, arching his back, letting him see every freckle on his body, every scar from random jobs, every inch of him...and Gideon drank him in with hungry, blazing eyes, his bleached hair dishevelled, mouth parted, ready to devour...

Gideon leaned over Buster again, and Buster felt his mate’s hardening against his own. He wrapped his arms around Gideon’s neck, pulling him close. Their lips brushed, ‘’Giddy...’’ he whispered affectionately, wanting him, wholly and completely.

And as Gideon connected their lips, Buster’s eyes blazed gold and everything went dark.

*~*~*

Jed had been uncomfortable all day, Art could tell. He knew it was because the full moon was coming and Art had been around long enough for his scent to permeate every inch of the loft. Art steered clear of his mate but in the evening, when dark had fallen and the moon had risen, he had enough. Jed stood by the little library downstairs, browsing. Except he’d been browsing for the good part of the hour and the library wasn’t big enough for that. Every time he pulled out a book and put it back, it slotted into its space with a _thunk_. At first Art, watching TV, hadn’t noticed, but now it was irritating the hell out of him and with every _thunk_ he jumped. Finally, unable to stand it anymore, he got up off the couch and marched over to Jed, ‘’hey, Mr Aggy,’’ he said casually, leaning on the bookcase next to Jed, ‘’I can go for tonight, if you want. Make it easier for you.’’

‘’No, its fine,’’ Jed said distractedly, his fingers skimming the spines of the books, eyes peeled to the titles, ‘’I don’t want you out there by yourself.’’

‘’I’m not a child.’’

‘’It’s too cold.’’

To be perfectly honest, Art didn’t really feel like going out into the freezing January evening either, so he just crossed his arms over his chest, deciding to give Jed a little grief, ‘’what you looking for?’’ he asked, nodding his chin to the bookcase.

‘’Not sure,’’ Jed wouldn’t even look at him.

‘’Full moon bothering you?’’

‘’No,’’ Jed said, even as he let another book slot into place. He must have inspected the library three times already.

‘’Not even a little bit?’’

‘’No.’’

Art scooted closer and gave Jed a shit-eating grin, ‘’liar.’’

Finally, Jed looked at him. His eyes lingered, on Art’s eyes, then skimmed his lips, his throat... he swallowed visibly, ‘’alright, maybe a little bit,’’ he turned back to the bookcase, ‘’mind going upstairs for a bit?’’

Art glanced down and grinned at the start of Jed’s erection, visible through his jeans, ‘’I do mind, actually,’’ he ducked down and reappeared between Jed’s arms, where they had been resting on the bookcase. He gave him a practiced look from under silver lashes, the one he gave to customers requesting a private dance, ‘’I could relieve you,’’ he said. He didn’t know why he did. Okay, he did know. Jed had been the main object of interest of all his dreams as of late, and most ended with him waking up in sticky underwear. Art couldn’t peel his eyes away from him most days. He watched the way Jed’s fingers rested on things for a second or two before he picked them up; the way his eyes automatically scanned any new place he walked into; the way his lips closed around the end of a pen when he graded work; the way his lashes cast shadows on his cheeks when he read...

Jed was handsome and irresistible, but he was also kind and calm and intelligent, and he believed Art could actually be something and shit, even if they hadn’t been mates, Art would have fallen...

And now he wasn’t about to pass out on a chance to touch the object of what he now admitted was his ultimate and whole attention.

But Jed just rolled his eyes at Art’s proposal, ‘’don’t joke.’’

But, somehow, there was none of his usual sternness or seriousness. There hadn’t been for a while, Art realised. And Jed hadn’t taken his arms away from where they caged Art in. So, boldly, Art shifted closer and murmured, ‘’I’m good at it.’’

Jed gave him a look, ‘’you’re being vulgar.’’

‘’You don’t seem to mind,’’ Art said with a smile, brushing his fingers pointedly over Jed’s now very visible erection.

Jed flinched, sensitive, and grabbed Art’s wrist, pinning it above his head, ‘’you,’’ he said in a quiet, slow voice that made Art shiver, ‘’are going to be the death of me.’’

Art gave him a cheeky grin, ‘’possibly.’’

For a hot second, Art thought Jed would lean in and kiss him, give into something that was inevitable. But Jed just gave Art’s wrist a gentle squeeze, ‘’go to bed, Art.’’

‘’Don’t wanna,’’ Art grabbed Jed by his belt, yanking him closer before he could walk off. Their fronts brushed and Art felt himself go hard, right there, right against Jed, and he didn’t even care that his teacher could feel it. He bit his lip in a way he knew drove men crazy and it seemed to work because Jed groaned.

‘’Arthur, you little sh-‘’ and then he blinked and his eyes blazed golden.

‘’Ha! I win!’’ Art said with a grin.

And then he inhaled sharply as he was shoved back into the bookshelf, Jed’s erection pressing up against his own. And the reality of it came crashing down on Art and he regretted it. Because Jed probably didn’t actually want this. Because Art had coerced him into it, ‘’Jed...’’ he tried.

But then Jed pulled back a little and thrust forward, rough, his hips rolling, so that their clothed erections pressed against each other, almost painfully. A sharp spike of pleasure went up Art’s spine and he gasped. Jed showed him no mercy. He grabbed Art’s hips, adjusted his own and started grinding against Art shamelessly, his hips fluid and unrelenting. And _fuck_ , he was hitting everything just right, ‘’w-wait, Jed...’’ Art stammered, overwhelmed by the sudden pleasure from such a simple activity. Jed didn’t stop. He kept rolling his hips, burying his face in Art’s neck. Art felt Jed’s lips, brushing against his skin but not quite kissing and it drove him insane.

‘’Fuck...’’ he panted, gripping Jed’s broad shoulders, ‘’fuck, I can’t...’’

Jed just pulled him closer, rubbing against Art until the boy felt his knees go weak, ‘’Jed...Jed, you have to stop, or...o-or...’’ but he had no strength to push him away, too lost in the gentle fire that had built up in his stomach.

And then, without a warning, he was coming. He cried out, pressing himself against the bookshelf, fingers digging into Jed’s shoulders as he kept thrusting until Art’s shivers died down.

He felt completely and utterly spent, even though they’d barely done anything. His underwear was sticky, hair dishevelled. He was panting, face red, hands trembling. And Jed...well, Jed’s eyes were turning from gold back to blue. Art shoved him away, ‘’I’m going to sleep,’’ he grumbled, feeling guilty and ecstatic at the same time.

Because Jed had touched him.

But he hadn’t wanted to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked it then you can check out loads or art & stories on my page. You can get the link to it on my facebook page below or I can send you the link!
> 
>  
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> The stories available there for only $1:
> 
> \- Two 'bride of war' stories, set in a WW2 universe where soldiers can sponsor omegas back at home as their 'brides' in return for a home and family if they return from war. Story 1 is about a London boy who eagerly awaits the arrival of General Hugo Speltzer, his husband. Story 2 is about a farmer in America, taking care of an orphaned child and dreading the return of a husband whom he'd never met. (Story names: The Bride of War & American Sweetheart)
> 
> \- A story about an ex-mafia kid, engaged to a man serving a life sentence. After an accident that leaves him wheelchair-bound, he leaves his dangerous family and life behind. He thinks he got away from it all - until his would-be husband is released from prison and comes looking for him, set on the marriage. (Story name: Kicking Ass and Other Extreme Sports)
> 
> \- A prison story, featuring multiple pairings - cop x prisoner, prisoner x prisoner etc. (story name: Maximum Security)
> 
> \- A 1920s omegaverse AU about a rich, American socialite who finds out his mate is...a poor Irish kid with a multitude of siblings and no idea about etiquette. (story name: Rhapsody in Blue)
> 
> \- A story about the Tsar of Russia, who falls in love with a strange boy with wings, purchased from a circus. (story name: the Tsar's Angel)
> 
> \- Two stories set in the universe of mermaids at war with the Kraken. After being saved by a beautiful merman, a Kraken General is set on proving that the two can mate and live in harmony. Story 2 is a sequel featuring two characters from story 1. Warning: tentacles involved! (story names: The Tale of the Bottomless Blue & The City of Peace)
> 
> \- A short, cute oneshot about a rich kid falling in love with his android bodyguard (story name: Wires)
> 
> \- A darker story about a 'perfect' suburban couple who kidnap a homeless ex-detective to become their pet (story name: Picket Fences, Barbed Wire)
> 
> \- A story about an elf warrior falling in love with a human cook at the palace, and being way too awkward to confess. Good if you're a sucker for major height/size difference! (story name: The Boy and the Warrior)
> 
> \- A girl on girl story about a post-apocalyptic world where a couple hundred survivors live in an abandoned train in the middle of nuclear winter. The closer to the front of the train you live, the higher your status, but when a dangerous plot is uncovered, a cold, ruthless huntress from the back of the train and a sheltered, young girl from the front will have to join forces to save each other (story name: The Last Train to Kremnica)
> 
> NEW STORIES!!!
> 
> \- Of Monsters and Parisians; omega Adrien, who doesn't fit into the feminine omega bracket in modern-day Paris, is transported to an ancient civilisation of the Kykvendi: vikings with the ability to transform into horrifying monsters. Adherbal is an outsider in the tribe. Despite being an alpha, his pretty monster-form makes him a laughing stock. He enjoys his solitude...until he lays his eyes on Adrien, screaming his head off upon coming across his fellow tribesmen.  
>  Its quite a nice, light read with just a tad of angst. (Mpreg) 
> 
> \- All of Him: a heart-broken man who lost his Soulmate has just finished creating a machine that will send him across realms to a world where his lover lives. His machine is succesful but when he arrives in this new world, he realises that he has an enemy: himself. Because both versions of him wield the soulmate mark that will capture their beloved's heart. And pretty soon, its a race.   
> A bit of a dark fic, has a similar vibe to the TV show 'You' and hella plot twists. 
> 
> In progress: a post apocalyptic story about the leader of an underground safe house during a zombie apocalypse, who demands a bride in return for a group's safety. 
> 
> CHECK THEM ALL OUT HERE!:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> If you don't have facebook, drop your email in the comments and I'll email you the link ^_^
> 
> All the love & thanks for your support :*


	32. Oficially Screwed and Not In a Good Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey kids! Sorry for missing last week's update!! Please forgive me~  
> Thank you for all the support, as always! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Buster woke up feeling sore all over. He wondered briefly if he’d gotten beat up again at a dodgy job. But then it all came crashing back – the movie, the drive, him triggering Gideon into a full-moon state, getting home, that strange need that took over everything else, the kiss...and then nothing. He groaned and opened his eyes, feeling the covers of Gideon’s bed slide all over his naked body. Gideon himself was sitting up, the covers pooling around his knees and waist. He was chewing his thumb, his green eyes nervous and worried. He didn’t even glance down at Buster when he stirred and Buster had the sinking, cold feeling that there was a lot of regret going through Gideon.

They’d screwed up, again.

Buster rolled onto his side, his back to Gideon. He was doing what he best did with all his problems: running away from them.

‘’It’s fifty.’’

‘’What?’’ Gideon glanced down at Buster, curling in the covers, wanting to disappear.

‘’Fifty quid. For the night,’’ Buster took a shuddering breath, ‘’that’s how much I usually charge. And then...and then you don’t have to worry about it. We forget about it. Don’t even have to see each other again. I won’t suddenly pop up and tell your potential wife or-‘’

Suddenly, arms went around Buster from behind and he didn’t realise how cold he’d been until he was drawn back against the warmth of Gideon’s chest. Gideon’s slim, elegant arms encased Buster perfectly, ‘’idiot,’’ he whispered heatedly, his breath tickling Buster’s ear, ‘’you’re such an idiot,’’ he sighed, his arms tightening around his mate, ‘’and so am I. Two idiots together...that can’t be good.’’

‘’No, it can’t,’’ Buster laughed and didn’t realise he was crying till he did so. Tears started dripping down his cheeks.

Slowly, Gideon rolled him around, till they were lying face-to-face on his pillows. His brows – dark brown, hinting at the colour of his hair under the bleach – were drawn together in worry as he brushed Buster’s tears away with his thumbs, slowly, taking his time, ‘’Mickey,’’ he said softly, ‘’I’m not your customer. I never will be.’’

Buster sniffled, ‘’I messed everything up.’’

‘’No, you didn’t.’’

‘’We were friends...’’

‘’We still are,’’ Gideon assured, smoothing down Buster’s hair.

‘’How can we be friends after this?’’

‘’Well...it’s not like we’re only allowed to be one thing,’’ Gideon said calmly. For once he sounded wiser beyond his age, ‘’before, we were just mates. Then we were mates and friends. And now, we can be mates and friends and lovers,’’ Buster flushed at that. He looked away. Gideon bit his lip, ‘’did I...hurt you yesterday?’’

‘’No,’’ Buster said quickly, ‘’you didn’t. I...don’t remember most of it. I think my wolf took over.’’

‘’Yes,’’ Gideon retracted his hand in case Buster didn’t want to be touched, ‘’it happens often when you’re newly changed.’’

Buster stared all over the place. At the pillow, the covers, the wall over Gideon’s shoulder...as long as he didn’t have to meet his eyes. Gideon let him, for a long while. And then, finally, Buster’s eyes shifted back to Gideon’s, ‘’mate,’’ he said quietly, and Gideon’s heart skipped, ‘’and friend and lover. That’s a mouth-full.’’

‘’There’s a better word for it all,’’ Gideon pushed gently.

‘’Which is...?’’

Gideon leaned in closer. His hand returned, fingers tracing the outline of Buster’s ear, then gently touching his freckled cheek, ‘’boyfriend...’’ he whispered and he sounded sure, even as his eyes swam with worry and nervousness and fear.

Buster had known that one day he and Gideon would have to re-evaluate their friendship. They were mates, after-all. But they had only just made up. He’d never thought it would happen so fast, when they were only just discovering each other.

But then again, they’d already become intimate, and there was no going back from that.

‘’You want to be my boyfriend?’’ Buster asked quietly.

‘’I...yes?’’ Gideon said sheepishly, almost like he knew Buster would reject him and was apologising for even asking. But he didn’t retract his hand this time.

‘’So...mates and friends and lovers?’’ Buster reiterated. He was trying to find a flaw, something repulsive, something that would make him want to back out of the deal. But all three things made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. Happy. Complete.

‘’Well, not just,’’ Gideon said softly, ‘’there’s more things that come with that.’’

‘’Like?’’

‘’Like...’’ Gideon shifted closer. The tip of his nose brushed Buster’s, ‘’family.’’

Buster’s breath caught. Family. He wanted to hate the word if it involved Gideon. But he loved it. His whole body ached with want when he heard it.

‘’Boyfriends,’’ Buster exhaled, ‘’sounds like a dream deal. Where do I sign?’’

Gideon blinked, surprised, ‘’I...you...you agree? You want to...?’’

‘’If you want to take the offer back,’’ Buster rubbed away the last of his tears, ‘’you have three seconds. Then it’ll be too late,’’ his smile disappeared and he looked away, ‘’I...I’ve done stuff. You saw me. I don’t exactly have the best moral compass and I’ve...well, sold...you know...myself, so uh...are you sure you-‘’

Suddenly, Gideon’s lips were on his in a warm, silencing kiss. It knocked the breath out of Buster’s lungs and when Gideon pulled away, his eyes shone with determination, ‘’I think I might be a bit in love with you.’’

Buster’s eyes widened just as Gideon realised what he said. They both went bright red, ‘’p-p-p-pardon?’’

‘’I-I’m sorry! I blurted that out,’’ Gideon said quickly, ‘’that was way too fast, wasn’t it?’’

‘’Uh...’’ Buster felt stunned, as if someone had hit him over the head with a frying pan, ‘’a bit?’’

‘’I take it back,’’ Gideon said and now a sheepish smile graced his lips, ‘’I’ll tell you when you’re ready to hear.’’

Buster exhaled, slowly, ‘’then...I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it for now.’’

Gideon smiled and leaned in, as if to kiss Buster properly...

And then his phone rang.

*~*~*

Val woke up on the morning after the full moon and immediately remembered all that had happened the night before. Her face burned and she stayed under the covers of the now-empty bed for a good half an hour before gathering the courage to get up. She slipped out of Ellie’s bed and got dressed in an old band t-shirt she found in a yard sale and worn jeans, before padding into the livingroom. The younger kids from Fritz’s pack – Robbie, Graham and Neta – were sitting on the floor with bowls of cereal in their laps, watching TV. Val walked past them, ruffling Robbie’s hair as she went, and entered the kitchen.

Ellie was stirring sugar into her coffee, not yet dressed. Despite herself, Val stopped at the doors and took her in. Ellie’s long, tan legs curved from the hem of her sleeping t-shirt, impossibly long. Her red-orange hair cascaded in messy waves down her back, unbound. Despite the full moon, her face was fresh and make-up less. Val had to force herself to move, to disrupt such a pretty view. She entered the kitchen and Ellie glanced at her. The atmosphere shifted to something more...tense. Awkward.

Ellie looked away from her, ‘’morning. Coffee?’’

‘’Yeah, please,’’ Val rubbed the back of her hair, not knowing what to do with her hands. What did she usually do in the mornings? She couldn’t remember. Did she sit at the counter? Did she fix herself breakfast? She didn’t feel like eating.

Finally, Val decided on sitting at the counter. She perched on it and watched Ellie quickly assemble coffee the way Val liked it before setting the cup down before her, ‘’thanks,’’ Val said awkwardly, taking a big gulp of the liquid for courage. She had to say something, _anything_. Start a conversation. What did they usually talk about...? But all she could think about was the fact that Ellie had shoved a hand down her underwear yesterday and she’d tried to...Val flushed just thinking about it, glad it didn’t show up on her skin. God, how was she ever supposed to look Ellie in the eye again?

Just do it.

Just look up.

Val did, stiffly. And realised that Ellie was no longer there.

Then she felt a hand sink into the mop of curls atop her head. Slim fingers worked out the knots and tangles and Val remembered that, in the mornings, they did just this. Val sat, usually brain-dead, drinking her coffee and Ellie tried to get her hair under control.

Val exhaled slightly and leaned back against Ellie a little.

It wasn’t much but at least the awkwardness dispersed slightly. Val was suddenly sleepy under Ellie’s ministrations; she wanted to lean into her further, have her wrap her arms around Val...

Robbie suddenly appeared in the doorway with a buzzing devices in his hand, ‘’Ellie, your phone is ringing!’’

*~*~*

Jed woke up to the sound of crunching.

The couch was slightly uncomfortable and he was too tall to lay down straight; his back and joints ached as he stretched and tilted his head back to look at the other couch in the livingroom. Art was sitting on it, dressed in one of Jed’s t-shirts, sleeping shorts and fluffy socks, munching on a packet of crisps.

‘’That’s not a very nutritious breakfast,’’ Jed remarked with a sleepy smile, his eyes flicking to Art’s long legs.

Art gave him a grin, ‘’I was trying to subtly wake you up because I want to watch TV.’’

Jed sat up, his blanket pooling around his legs. He smiled and rubbed a hand through his bed-head, ‘’well, it worked.’’

‘’Sorry,’’ Art said, though he didn’t sound entirely apologetic as he grabbed the remote, ‘’it is the weekend, though. You said you had marking to do.’’

Jed groaned and stretched again, ‘’don’t I always?’’ he got off the couch and then he remembered that yesterday had been the full moon. He frowned. Strangely enough, he didn’t remember a big chunk of the evening. He remembered Art teasing him, so sinful it was near goddamn illegal...and then. Had he done something? No, he couldn’t have. Art was acting way too normal. But... ‘’Art?’’

‘’Hm?’’

Jed turned around to him, ‘’did we do anything last night?’’ he asked bluntly.

Art’s hand froze with a crisp mid-way to his mouth. His grey eyes met Jed’s blue, and he looked...uncertain. But then he popped the crisp in his mouth and crunched down, ‘’would you be mad if we did?’’

Jed’s heart stuttered with unknown emotion but he forced his voice to be calm as he answered, quietly, ‘’no.’’ Art wanted him. Jed had wanted to keep their relationship strictly teacher-student, but that had been impossible from the start, hadn’t it? They were mates, first and foremost. Now they lived together...Jed sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He didn’t want it to happen. Or, rather, he didn’t want it to happen when he wasn’t aware of what he was doing. Did that mean he wanted it to happen? It was inevitable, no matter how much he tried to push it back...and very, very confusing. So Jed just repeated, ‘’no, I wouldn’t be mad.’’

Art stared at him for a longer moment, as if he could read his inner turmoil. Jed waited for him to confess to what they did, but instead Art just looked towards the TV and resumed eating his crisps, ‘’we didn’t do anything.’’

Disappointment.

That was what Jed felt, sudden and sinking, and it confused him even more. He shook his head. He needed a shower to clear his mind. He walked around the couches but something made him stop right behind Art. His eyes flicked to Art’s neck, slender and elegant, the collarbones that peeked above the t-shirts, those long legs, his steely-grey eyes...before he knew what he was doing, Jed brushed his fingers over the back of Art’s neck, ‘’maybe next time we should...’’

Art jumped at his touch and looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes. Jed fell silent so Art prompted, ‘’should what?’’

Jed quickly pulled his hand back and grabbed a crisp from Art’s packet, chastising himself for letting some of those awful needs and wants seep through, ‘’nothing,’’ he said quickly, walking on to the shower, ‘’you should eat a proper breakfast. There’s eggs in the fridge.’’

And then, before he could take another step, his phone rang.

*~*~*

Jamie had called the meeting and they hosted it in Ellie’s livingroom. He had quickly and concisely explained what he found taped to the front doors of the last building on Bay Street. Now the notice lay on the coffee table between the pack like a dead body. The atmosphere in the room was heavy and depressing.

‘’So...’’ Val said emptily, not comprehending, ‘’they’re knocking the building down?’’

‘’I don’t get it,’’ Gus had his arms around himself, and Alex was by his side, his arm slung over his shoulders. Gus looked as upset as they all felt, ‘’the council agreed to repair it. The foundations-‘’

‘’It’s costing too much,’’ Jamie said bitterly, ‘’they’re going to compensate Jed and then after that we’ll never...we’ll...’’ he didn’t want to say it. He didn’t want to say that they’d never have their home again. The last building on Bay Street had been home, a haven, for all of them. A place to live and work and hang out and sleep and lick your wounds and laugh and cry and bleed all over the floor and have coffee and dance and drink and see each other, every day.

‘’They can’t,’’ Art said. He sounded chocked. Jamie didn’t look at him; they still weren’t on good terms. But the blond gave a curt nod.

Raphael sounded angry, ‘’there has to be a way to stop this,’’ he said, ‘’we could appeal to the council again-‘’

‘’The council hates us,’’ Val snapped, ‘’they barely allowed the revision of the building last time. This time round...they’ll gladly let it fall.’’

‘’Fuck,’’ Buster said, which pretty much summed up everything they were thinking.

‘’This is the worst time for this to happen,’’ Ellie groaned, rubbing her face. She hated being powerless. She could have helped, weeks before, with the small fortune her company generated. Now the company was out of her hands and her savings were needed to keep her apartment and find a pack house for the rest. But maybe she could dig out a couple hundred, maybe a thousand, ‘’how much over are they?’’

‘’I don’t know,’’ Jamie said.

‘’Couple thousand at least, I’d guess,’’ Jed said. He was biting his thumb, thinking, ‘’I have some sway in the council...we could ask for some time to collect some money.’’

‘’Where would we get it?’’ Jamie asked bitterly, ‘’short of robbing a bank, us lot have never been good at gathering large sums of money.’’

‘’We’ll help you, genius,’’ Gideon snapped and then, gentler, ‘’we’re all kind of a pack now. We all look out for each other.’’

Val’s and Jamie’s prides ached to have someone help them, but they couldn’t argue with Gideon. They needed as much help as they could get. Ellie nodded, ‘’with some time, we could get a big sum together.’’

‘’It could work,’’ Raphael chewed the inside of his cheek.

Fritz took his hand and squeezed, hard, ‘’it will,’’ he said, determined.

Alex put a hand on Gus’ back comfortingly, ‘’then we better get going. The council isn’t known for patience.’’

‘’We’ll start tomorrow,’’ Diego decided, ‘’Jed, speak to the council. Everyone else, get some rest. We have a tough couple of weeks ahead of us.’’

*~*~*

Buster never thought he’d lay on his back in Gideon’s bed with his mate at his side, ever.

But he was.

They were both staring at the ceiling, thinking about the trail ahead of them. Saving the building was important to the human pack and thus it was important to their mates. But it would be difficult. Buster knew he should be overwhelmed by the thought of what was ahead, but he wasn’t. He guessed Gideon’s hand, brushing his arm gently over and over, had something to do with keeping the panic at bay.

‘’I can think of a couple jobs I could get on short notice,’’ Buster said finally.

‘’Good,’’ Gideon said. Then he hesitated, ‘’any of them...illegal?’’

‘’A couple.’’

Gideon’s hand paused on Buster’s arm. He rolled over, onto his side, and popped himself up on his elbow so he could gaze down at his mate, ‘’how illegal?’’

‘’Maybe a little dealing,’’ Buster conceded, ‘’I could get Fritz on board. DeeDee could provide us with some stuff...’’

Gideon sighed and Buster waited for the lecture, but Gideon just said, ‘’as long as you don’t get caught,’’ acknowledging how important saving his home was to Buster.

Buster smiled and looked up at Gideon, ‘’how could I? We have a cop on our side.’’

Gideon snorted, ‘’right,’’ then he went serious again, ‘’Mickey, I...the...well,’’ he sighed, ‘’I don’t want you to...take customers again.’’

Buster glanced away, shame flooding him, as per usual when he thought about it. But Gideon cupped his face, ‘’please,’’ he murmured, ‘’for your safety and health. And for me. You’re skilled. You can do so many jobs so please, just...don’t do this one.’’

Buster looked back at Gideon, ‘’okay,’’ he agreed quietly.

Gideon smiled, relieved, and lay back down, ‘’don’t worry. We’ll save the building.’’

Buster gave him a genuine, sweet smile, ‘’yeah,’’ he whispered. He hesitated, and then said, ‘’are you...going to take on any dodgy jobs?’’

‘’No,’’ Gideon said, ‘’but I’ll do all I can to get as much money as we need.’’

Buster rolled over onto his side to face Gideon, ‘’is there anything you’d never do?’’

‘’Nude modelling,’’ Gideon said, immediately, ‘’if my parents ever saw pictures like that, I’d get disowned. Besides, it’s pretty humiliating,’’ he caught himself, ‘’I-I mean, it’s not like...um...’’

Buster chuckled, ‘’don’t worry. It’s not your fault that my moral compass is askew.’’

‘’It’s not,’’ Gideon said quickly, ‘’you do what you have to do. No one can blame you for that,’’ his hand returned to Buster’s cheek, ‘’I can’t blame you for that, and I can’t believe I ever did,’’ he leaned in closer, ‘’and...short of taking my clothes off for a photographer, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make you happy.’’

Buster felt like his breath had been knocked out of him. He went bright red.

Gideon got flustered, ‘’I-I’m sorry! Was that too intense?’’

Buster gave a little embarrassed giggle, ‘’a lil’...’’ he admitted.

Gideon couldn’t help but smile at Mickey’s sweet laugh, ‘’sorry. I’m working on it,’’ he admired Buster as his blush slowly disappeared and he stopped giggling. His eyes flicked to Buster’s lips, ‘’hey, Mickey...?’’

‘’Yeah?’’

Gideon leaned in, so that their breath mingled, ‘’can I...kiss you?’’

He heard Mickey exhale shakily, but then, ‘’y-yeah. If you want.’’

And so Gideon did. It was a proper, warm kiss, and when Gideon brushed his tongue over Mickey’s lower lip, his mate eagerly opened his mouth. Gideon had never thought they’d kiss. He’d never thought they’d kiss like this – like they wanted each other, like they wanted more.

But it stopped at the kiss.

They parted, long before Gideon satisfied himself with his mate’s lips, and Buster whispered a quick goodnight and then he rolled over onto his side of the bed and closed his eyes.

Gideon waited to make sure Mickey was asleep, not brave enough to reach out. Only then did he reach out and put and arm around his mate, snuggling into him and breathing in his scent as he himself drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!   
> So, if you want to read the next chapter of Bay Street plus the Lirim special you can do so on my page. There's also over 13 stories that you can read for just $1! 
> 
> The newest stories include: 
> 
> \- Of Monsters and Parisians; omega Adrien, who doesn't fit into the feminine omega bracket in modern-day Paris, is transported to an ancient civilisation of the Kykvendi: vikings with the ability to transform into horrifying monsters. Adherbal is an outsider in the tribe. Despite being an alpha, his pretty monster-form makes him a laughing stock. He enjoys his solitude...until he lays his eyes on Adrien, screaming his head off upon coming across his fellow tribesmen.  
> Its quite a nice, light read with just a tad of angst. (Mpreg)
> 
> \- All of Him: a heart-broken man who lost his Soulmate has just finished creating a machine that will send him across realms to a world where his lover lives. His machine is succesful but when he arrives in this new world, he realises that he has an enemy: himself. Because both versions of him wield the soulmate mark that will capture their beloved's heart. And pretty soon, its a race.  
> A bit of a dark fic, has a similar vibe to the TV show 'You' and hella plot twists.
> 
> And, coming soon!: 
> 
> A zombie apocalypse story about a group of survivors that stumbles into the stronghold of a powerful man and his squad of fighters. If they want to stay and live, there's a couple demands - one of them being that the leader of the newcomers becomes a slave to the leader of the fighters. But pretty soon, both groups have to relocate and on the dangerous and perilous journey, feelings start to flutter...
> 
> You can find the link to my page on my facebook below, or you can drop your email and I'll send you the link! 
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/


	33. Everything Short of Grave Robbing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!   
> Sorry for the slightly late update and thank you so much for all the support, as always <3

For two weeks straights, Jed argued with the council and the rest of the pack plotted.

When finally an ultimatum of money – one hundred thousand – and a date of exactly one month were granted, everyone got to work. It was a huge amount of money and a very short time; the pack was being set up to fail but everyone was determined to save the last building on Bay Street. For the humans, it wasn’t the first or last time they had to fight for something in their lives and their fire fuelled their mates.

During the first days of March came the raves, and they were glorious.

*~*~*

‘’Glitter ball,’’ Fritz said distastefully, brushing a handful of glitter off his shoulder, ‘’nice.’’

‘’It works,’’ Val called over the music, turning gracefully from the makeshift bar. Losing the building meant also losing the Crypt. But even without a venue, the Bay Street gang had Art and Jamie – the two masterminds could turn anything into a party and with Val at their side, they were unstoppable. As much as Jamie and Art still had a rift between them, working on organising the raves brought them back together. Their friendship was mending, slowly, even if it may never be the same again. Jamie was currently behind the makeshift bar, made from carton boxes covered with some kind of cheap, shifty, glittery muslin material. Diego had donated speakers his friend borrowed him for music; Ellie spoke to her Russian friends for a cheap supply of alcohol that Jamie was easily mixing into cocktails that Val served, ‘’even if it is annoying,’’ she now added, brushing glitter out of the puff of curly hair on top of her head with irritation.

She was wearing glittery gold booty shorts and a black crop-top, her cheeks brushed with gold glitter. She looked pretty, if uncomfortable, but that didn’t stop her from giving it all for the first of the many themed raves to be a success. Fritz just sighed and walked off. The party was in the whole apartment building; it spilled from Raphael’s own apartment, where the rooms were locked, onto the corridors, down the stairs...with all the glitter and cheap decorations that Gus managed to turn into mystical decor, the whole vibe was almost of some kind of frolicking, wild faerie party. The boy was currently sitting at a table by the front doors, collecting tickets and painting faces of eager newcomers with glue and cheap glitter. There were many customers – the apartment building was bursting. Word had spread that the hosts of the legendary Crypt parties were doing a limited-time-only series of raves around the city and people were desperate to get in.

By the doors is where Fritz found Raphael. He was half-body-guarding, half trying not to get the party shut down, ‘’I’m so sorry, Mrs Morales,’’ he was gushing to an appalled looking middle-aged woman over the music, ‘’this won’t happen again, I promise.’’

‘’Raphael, you are good boy,’’ she said in a thick Hispanic accent as Fritz approached, ‘’you never do this!’’

‘’I know, I know,’’ Raphael tried to placate her, ‘’it’s just for a friend’s birthday-‘’

‘’You’re selling tickets!’’

‘’Um...it got a bit out of hand?’’ Raphael gave her a sheepish, charming smile and ushered her back to her own set of apartments downstairs, ‘’I’m very sorry. I promise this is the last time.’’

Mrs Morales cast him an irritated look over her shoulder, but she must have been aware of Raphael’s hard situation because she shook her head and disappeared in her rooms.  Fritz set off towards his boyfriend when an angry looking skinhead rose up out of nowhere and growled at Raphael. Raphael just rolled his eyes and shoved a twenty at him. The man lumbered off towards the bar and Fritz finally reached his boyfriend, ‘’hey...problem with the tenants?’’

Raphael turned and Fritz bit back a surprised exhale. His cheeks were covered with pink glitter and it made him look incredibly adorable. Like...like Fritz just wanted to climb him like a tree and squish his cheeks. Raphael just sighed, ‘’I think I’m the problem _of_ the tenants,’’ he called over the music, ‘’you having a good time?’’

Fritz flashed him one of the countless tiny bags of white powder that he had in the folds of his jumper, ‘’I’m here for work, too.’’

Raphael’s eyes widened, ‘’you’re dealing _coke_!?’’ he hissed, low.

‘’Just for today,’’ Fritz said, unfazed, ‘’we need the money.’’

‘’I...but...’’ Raphael spluttered, ‘’where’d you even get that? Whose your supplier!?’’

Fritz just jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. Raphael looked to where he was pointing and found DeeDee, in her atrocious purple tracksuit and sunglasses, sitting on a chair by the staircase. She was bobbing her head to the music with a gap-toothed grin while aggressively stroking the neighbour’s cat. Raphael turned back to Fritz sharply, ‘’DeeDee grows weed!’’

‘’She’d done a little upgrade,’’ Fritz shrugged, ‘’to help out. So, stop freaking out. Its only for a little while,’’ he tried to walk off to find clients, but Raphael grabbed his wrist and brought him close.

‘’What if you get caught?’’ he hissed and Fritz saw the worry in his eyes.

He gave him a smile, ‘’don’t worry. We have a cop on our side, remember?’’ he pulled his hand free and smacked Raphael’s ass playfully, ‘’keep up the good work, sunshine!’’ he called, walking off. He ruffled Gus’ hair as he walked past.

Upstairs, Art popped up at the bar, ‘’I’ve finished dancing for the VIPs,’’ they’ve set up VIP booths along the corridor, putting up more of that cheap sparkly material around couches and armchairs dragged from various houses – some legally, some not, ‘’I’m gonna get going. My shift at Treetop is about to start.’’

Jamie nodded from behind the counter, setting a shot glass on the counter, ‘’have fun,’’ he said gravelly.

Art gave him a grin, took the shot, and walked off into the crowd.

*~*~*

‘’Hey, Ellie, I-‘’ Jed stopped dead in the doorway of Ellie’s lavish apartment...now not so lavish, ‘’what’s...going on?’’ where there once had been polished furniture now stood carton boxes – and not nearly enough of them to hold all of Ellie’s belongings.

Ellie, unfazed, walked into the livingroom with an arm-full of silver wine goblets, ‘’oh...hi, Jed!’’ she said, cheerful.

‘’What are you doing?’’ Jed asked, looking around in utter confusion.

‘’I’m selling the apartment,’’ Ellie said, as if it was obvious.

Jed gaped, ‘’you’re selling the apartment,’’ he repeated, disbelieving.

‘’Yeah,’’ Ellie shrugged again, looking down at the goblets, ‘’and maybe doing a little bit of a yard sale.’’

‘’But, Ellie-‘’

‘’Look, our pack needs the money,’’ Ellie said suddenly, serious and sharp, as she dumped the goblets into a big box in the corner. It was labelled in sharpie – ‘SALE’. Ellie wiped her hands on her shirt. She didn’t seem at all regretful of what she was doing – a true alpha, ‘’and I still haven’t found a job. I’d have to sell this place sooner or later and I might as well help with this situation. It’s already done. I sold the place, bought a smaller one with some of the money...I dipped into my savings, too. We’re six thousand ahead.’’ 

Jed sighed, sadly. It looked like Ellie was losing everything and in the process of protecting her pack, she didn’t even give herself enough time to care. Jed walked over to her and asked, ‘’does Val know?’’

For a second, Ellie faltered. She sighed and shook her head, ‘’she won’t mind. The new place is big enough for both of us and I rented a second house as a temporary pack house.’’

Jed put a hand on Ellie’s shoulder, ‘’you know...you don’t have to give up _everything_ for others.’’

‘’There’s loads of things I wouldn’t give up for anything in the world, Jed,’’ Ellie said, softly but sternly, ‘’my pack’s safety and comfort is one of them.’’

Jed sighed but knew it was pointless to argue. He’d just have to take care of Ellie from the sidelines, ‘’alright.’’

‘’Anyway,’’ Ellie pulled the black sharpie from her ponytail and opened the cap with her teeth, ‘’did you need something?’’ she went about labelling boxes.

‘’Make that ten.’’

‘’What?’’

‘’ten thousand,’’ Jed set a stack of cash on Ellie’s desk.

Ellie quickly capped her pen, ‘’what is that, Jed?’’ she asked gravelly.

He just gave her a teasing smile, ‘’you’re not the only one with savings to dip into,’’ his smile faltered and he added, ‘’besides...I didn’t want to help save the building when I could. I’ll do everything I can now.’’

Ellie watched him for a long while but finally she nodded, and went back to labelling her boxes. Jed mutely helped her.

*~*~*

‘’You’re trying to break into your trust fund?’’ Marianna deadpanned, repeating after her brother.

‘’Yes, but for a good cause!’’ Gus hurried to say. He was sitting on the floor of DeeDee’s van, where he lived for now, tapping away at the laptop Marianna had brought. She’d agreed to randomly come visit him in the middle of the night, despite the dodgy request.

‘’But...Gus!’’ Marianna protested helplessly, ‘’you can’t steal from our parents! Then they’ll never take you back!’’

Gus’ fingers paused on the keys, ‘’...they’re never taking me back anyway,’’ he said. He tried not to sound miserable. As much as he despised the way his parents treated him, he still longed for their love, and he probably would until he died. But he wouldn’t let that control his life. Not anymore. He went back to typing, bringing up the Wick family’s bank page and then pulling up pages and pages of code, ‘’look, my friends and I need to get the building back and I don’t know how else to help. I don’t work, and I have no experience to get a job either.’’

‘’So you’re going to steal?’’ Marianna said. She sighed, ‘’Gus, if they catch you-‘’

‘’They won’t,’’ Gus said quickly, ‘’they won’t even notice. They have loads of money and they stopped putting money into my trustfund when I left...’’ he went back to typing. He knew some basic hacking from school and Buster had cultivated his skills since they knew each other.

Still, the bank’s security was too hard for him to get through.

‘’Shoot...’’ Gus whispered, fingers flying desperately over the keys.

Finally, Marianna relented, ‘’let me see.’’

They sat there for an hour, trying to crack the security codes on the Wick family account to no avail.

Suddenly, the doors to DeeDee’s van burst open. Marianna quickly shut the laptop while Gus shrieked, ‘’they found us!’’

But it was just DeeDee, wandered in from the party. There were now a couple dozen little bags of cocaine under her bed, ready to sell for money to save the building, ‘’what are you lil’ ones up to?’’ she chortled as she walked into her van.

Gus sighed and turned back to the laptop, ‘’we’re just trying to hack a bank,’’ he grumbled, ‘’it’s not going very well.’’

‘’Ah, hacking a bank,’’ DeeDee suddenly plopped in between them in the tight space of the floor, ‘’good times. Give it here,’’ she took the laptop and put it on her lap. She typed away happily, even if she couldn’t see very well, ‘’I have some experience,’’ she added, ‘’I worked for the CIA during the cold war!’’

*~*~*

Val rolled her shoulders, like she always did before the fights, clenching her fists, already wrapped with leather for better punch-impact. She was aware of glares and curious glances attacking her from every direction. It had been a while since she last showed her face at the underground fights. A lot had changed; like the fact that now werewolves were permitted in the fights, but they could only take on other werewolves. But two things didn’t change. You could still make some serious cash.

And Val was still Queen of the fights.

She glanced up at the train times, where the next fight was getting scribbled in with sharpie. It was late and the time had come for two on two fights – sometimes they didn’t get to this point, shut down by the police too early. But, today...Val grinned as she looked at the next fight.

**Yuna + M B Rivera V Lacy + E Winter**

Val glanced at her mate. At first she doubted Ellie could look tough enough for the fights but...well, she’d been wrong. She had on a tank top and cargo pants, her hands covered with Val’s fingerless leather gloves. Her hair was pulled back in a long braid, revealing her blue eyes, flashing and ready for blood. This, paired with her obvious werewolf aura was enough to make Ellie and Val the most formidable team in the fights.

‘’Ready?’’ Val asked Ellie.

Ellie flashed her a grim grin, ‘’let’s get that money.’’

They jumped onto the train tracks.

*~*~*

Raphael rolled his shoulder and flinched, feeling the sore muscles there tighten. He’d set up a temporary art studio in Gideon’s apartment and he worked practically twenty-four-seven. His arms and fingers ached and his eyes were starting to blur. He still had one client consultation to do before he could crash for a couple hours. He rubbed his eyes, desperately needing an energy boost.

Like a blessing from the skies, the doorbell rang. A moment later Jamie, let in by Gideon, appeared in the livingroom where the ‘studio’ was. He passed Raphael a Styrofoam cup and Raphael gulped down the coffee gratefully, ‘’how is the work going?’’ Jamie himself looked completely worn out from night spent at the raves, or planning them.

‘’Good,’’ Raphael said when the coffee was gone, ‘’I’m making a good three hundred a day. You?’’

‘’The raves are a success,’’ Jamie collapsed on Gideon’s couch and yawned ‘’hard, though.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Raphael sat down next to him, ‘’but we’re getting our building back.’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Jamie agreed.

They blinked sleepily at the wall.

‘’I want Fritz...’’ Raphael mumbled suddenly. He knew he couldn’t, but saying his needs out loud was the next best thing. He wanted his mate in his lap, wanted to wrap his arms around him, breathe in his scent, curl up with him in bed, even if just for a couple of hours...he wanted to run with him through the woods, to curl up as wolves under the trees, stare at the sky...he missed having the time to do all that.

‘’Gideon could call him,’’ Jamie said.

Raphael shook his head, ‘’he’s busy. And tired, probably...’’ he yawned, ‘’and so am I...’’

‘’Mmmh, same...’’

‘’You’re tired?’’

‘’Yeah...’’ Jamie let his eyes flutter shut, ‘’...and I want Diego...’’ but Diego was doing extra shifts to try and get more money and Jamie had barely seen him the last couple of days and he was surprised at the aching pain inside him at the knowledge that they couldn’t be together all the time... he sighed and let sleep tug on him, enticing...

When Gideon walked in fifteen minutes later, he was surprised to find Jamie and Raphael asleep against each other on his couch.

*~*~*

After two days straight of job after job after job, Buster was glad to finally come back to Gideon’s apartment to sleep. He’d done everything, from window cleaning the higher buildings, suspended in the air and freaked out of his mind, to bus boy at the cafe to babysitter for a couple brats...he’d even dealt some weed and coke for Fritz. Now he stumbled through the livingroom where a freshly rested Raphael was tattooing his night clients.

‘’Hey,’’ Buster mumbled as he walked past.

‘’Good job today,’’ Raphael said distractedly, inking some girl’s arm.

Buster stumbled upstairs to where Gideon was by the desk, counting money. He perked up when Buster walked in, ‘’you’re back!’’

Buster wanted nothing more than to dump himself in the bed and fall asleep, but he caught Gideon’s fast movements as he counted and his eyes widened. He came over and saw the spread of cash on the desk, getting put in small clumps, ‘’wha...where did you get this much money!?’’

Gideon’s fingers froze over the notes and he quickly began collecting them up, ‘’I just did a couple modelling jobs.’’

‘’Uh...your modelling gigs don’t pay you cash,’’ Buster said, feeling an uneasy feeling filter into his heart as Gideon stood and put the cash in the drawer, ‘’Gideon, what’s going on?’’

‘’Huh? Nothing?’’ Gideon said, but he seemed distracted, ‘’come to bed now.’’

Buster sat down on the bed next to Gideon and grabbed his hand, ‘’that was, what...over five hundred quid?’’

Something inside Gideon’s eyes faltered, like he knew he couldn’t keep this from Buster long, ‘’eight hundred,’’ he whispered.

Buster’s eyes bulged out, ‘’eight...eight hundred!?’’ he spluttered, ‘’how did you make that in one day!?’’ when Gideon just lowered his head, Buster pressed, ‘’Gideon. _How_?’’

‘’...took my clothes off,’’ Gideon whispered and Buster froze.

‘’ _What_?’’

‘’I-I didn’t mean for it to happen,’’ Gideon stuttered, ‘’the guy just...suggested it after the shoot. And...and he offered so much money and...’’

‘’What is he going to do with the pictures?’’ Buster whispered, feeling himself go pale.

‘’Um...private sale...’’ Gideon whispered and shuddered a little bit. He was looking away, as if he was ashamed.

‘’Why did you do it?’’ Buster whispered, voice trembling, ‘’you said going nude is something you’d never want to do, so why...why...’’

‘’Because you’re all helping!’’ Gideon burst out, finally raising his head, and Buster saw all the shame and guilt and self loathing inside, ‘’because you all have jobs or things you can do to help get that building back and I...I don’t. I’m just...pretty...’’ he said dejectedly.

‘’No, you’re not!’’ Buster said, almost angrily, grabbing Gideon’s face, ‘’well, you are,’’ he amended, ‘’you’re very pretty. But that doesn’t mean you’re _just_ that. You’re good with numbers, you’re a good photographer, you’re bilingual and...shit, Gideon, you can do loads of things and this...my situation, the situation of my friends...it shouldn’t push you to doing things you’d never want to.’’

Gideon looked away, ‘’that building is important to you.’’

‘’No, it’s not!’’ Buster said desperately, trying to get Gideon to look at him.

‘’Yes. It is.’’

‘’Okay, it is!’’ Buster said finally, feeling shaken up and horrible about what Gideon had to go through, ‘’but you’re more important to me, okay? So don’t ever hurt yourself like that,’’ and then he threw his arms around Gideon’s neck and buried his face there, trying to get a hand on his emotions.

Gideon hugged him back almost instantly, gratefully, hiding his face in his hair.

When they pulled back, they were both a little more calm. Gideon looked a tiny bit relived and he was looking at Buster again, ‘’if you need a job,’’ Buster said levelly, ‘’I’ll get you one. But no more taking your clothes off.’’

‘’Okay,’’ Gideon agreed.

Buster smiled a little, feeling his cheeks heat, ‘’unless it’s for me.’’

Gideon couldn’t hold back a grin, ‘’okay.’’

*~*~*

‘’Are you going to just stare at him all night, or are you going to help me make drinks?’’

‘’Sorry,’’ Jed reluctantly pried his eyes away from Art, where he danced on the pole, and looked towards Alex. It had been a while since Jed saw Art dance and he was turmoil of emotion. Half of him was breathless and hypnotised by Art’s movements and body; the other half of him was seething mad at the many dangerous and disgusting faces of this job. Still, he forced himself to mix drinks in the club Art danced at, alongside Alex. Art had gotten them the job for that weekend and they would both work their asses off to get a couple hundred quid for the building.

Still, with Art dancing, the rush at the bar was relatively slow, ‘’you really like him, huh?’’ Alex sent Jed a cheeky grin. He was just a kid, really, but he got along well with everyone in the pack, even Fritz and Gideon.

Jed looked away quickly, knowing he was obvious with staring at Art, ‘’more like he likes me,’’ he grumbled, remembering how full-on Art had been with all his advances. And how little Jed did to stop him.

‘’He’s not the one ogling you like a toy in a shop’s window,’’ Alex said pointedly, mixing a sex on the beach.

‘’I’m his teacher,’’ Jed said. He wasn’t going to deny the fact that he’d been ogling, when he had.

Alex rolled his eyes, ‘’for, what, three more months?’’

Jed sighed. He knew it was a feeble excuse to keep his own desires at bay. But Art _was_ his student, and much younger than him, and a human...and Jed wanted him to go places. He had a brilliant mind. And Jed worried that being together would ruin it. Art needed someone to push him to do better for the first time in his life and perhaps he wouldn’t accept Jed as that person if they were...if they were...

Jed wouldn’t even let himself thing about it.

‘’How’s Gus?’’ he called over the music to Alex.

Alex sighed, almost pouting, ‘’he wouldn’t let me do anything illegal,’’ he complained, ‘’he says I need to take care of my track record.’’

‘’Well, you are a soldier,’’ Jed said pointedly, ‘’they won’t let you serve if you fuck up a couple months before you’re posted.’’

‘’Yeah, well...’’ Alex sighed, ‘’I’m worried about him. I’m worried _he’s_ doing something illegal.’’

Jed laughed, ‘’what, _Gus_? He’s too innocent.’’

Alex raised his eyes to the ceiling, as if he was praying, ‘’let’s hope.’’

*~*~*  


That first week was a resounding success. Some things weren’t mentioned – like how the nine thousand from Gus were from his illegally hacked-into trust fund and not from Mariana. There were a lot of fights – there was a lot of anger especially over Ellie selling her apartment to try and save the building, but in the end everyone was just grateful. After the first seven days, the whole pack, human or otherwise, was utterly exhausted, mentally and physically. But it had been worth it.

They managed to make twenty three thousand. If they pushed it, they’d make it in time.

Unfortunately for them, week two wasn’t about to be as easy as week one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked it then you can check out loads or art & stories on my page. You can get the link to it on my facebook page below or I can send you the link!
> 
>  
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> THE NEWEST STORIES AVAILABLE FOR ONLY $1!:
> 
> \- Of Monsters and Parisians; omega Adrien, who doesn't fit into the feminine omega bracket in modern-day Paris, is transported to an ancient civilisation of the Kykvendi: vikings with the ability to transform into horrifying monsters. Adherbal is an outsider in the tribe. Despite being an alpha, his pretty monster-form makes him a laughing stock. He enjoys his solitude...until he lays his eyes on Adrien, screaming his head off upon coming across his fellow tribesmen.  
> Its quite a nice, light read with just a tad of angst. (Mpreg)
> 
> \- All of Him: a heart-broken man who lost his Soulmate has just finished creating a machine that will send him across realms to a world where his lover lives. His machine is succesful but when he arrives in this new world, he realises that he has an enemy: himself. Because both versions of him wield the soulmate mark that will capture their beloved's heart. And pretty soon, its a race.  
> A bit of a dark fic, has a similar vibe to the TV show 'You' and hella plot twists.
> 
> \- Paradise Found: a story about Dien, the leader of a small, rag-tag group of zombie apocalypse survivors, who finally come across a sanctuary. However the leader of the sanctuary has demands if Dien's group is to stay - one of them being that Dien is to become his personal slave. Dien agrees, despite how much he loathes the idea. However soon enough a harrowing, long quest to safety forces the two to fight and survive alongside each other...and feelings begin to blossom. 
> 
>  
> 
> CHECK THEM ALL OUT HERE!:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> If you don't have facebook, drop your email in the comments and I'll email you the link ^_^
> 
> All the love & thanks for your support :*


	34. The Big Crackdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi darlings!   
> I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, stuff has been going on.   
> I hope you enjoy the chapter nonetheless!   
> Drop a comment if you can - it means a lot xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi darlings!   
> I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, stuff has been going on.   
> I hope you enjoy the chapter nonetheless!   
> Drop a comment if you can - it means a lot xx

Jed whistled, impressed, ‘’you’ve really outdone yourselves this time.’’

The rolling hills, between the city and the forest, were blazing with light and blasting with music. Art and Jamie, on either side of Jed, admired the view with unhidden pride. Their ‘faerie rave’ was by far their most successful rave and they had been organising those for a week and a half straight. The hills were overtaken by party-goers in bright clothes; boys in neon jackets and masks and girls with glitter and flower crowns. The Crypt’s gear had been put to good use. The grass and trees danced with neon lights and speakers pulsed music over the open space. There were small bonfires started here and there, surrounded with bricks and rocks for safety. They had been a bitch to build for Jamie and Art but it was worth it for the effect. From where the three of them stood, the whole thing looked like some wild dance of the faerie hunt.

‘’Right,’’ Jamie said, ‘’time to get to work.’’

They all parted ways. There was no bar so Jamie and Jed had set up makeshift tables on either side of the party area – they now went to begin selling booze to eager customers. Art went to the highest point of the hill and began his dancing routine. Jed couldn’t help but glance at him every once in a while. He looked sinful, with a crop top and tiny shorts, wholly unsuitable for cold March nights. His bare arms, legs, stomach and cheekbones were dusted with silver glitter. Paired with his grey eyes and ash-blond hair, he looked like a fallen star.

The three of them weren’t the only ones working the rave. Gus sat cross-legged atop a speaker, picking song after song that got the crowd going wild. Below the gentle hill, in the shadows, stood DeeDee’s van. The old woman was busy packaging weed into small baggies that Fritz busied himself with distributing for good money. He was a top-notch salesman; his advertising was impeccable. Jed, Art, Jamie and Gus watched him constantly disappear inside the van and come back out, merging with the throng, ready to distribute his goods.

Jamie was by his makeshift bar. Darkness stretched behind him before melting into the twinkling lights of the city. He was busy making drinks for the seemingly endless queue. He was making just the simplest ones, without all his bar equipment, and dousing each in edible glitter so it matched the theme. But he was tired. Over the last week and a half he’d barely slept more than a couple hours each day. He was at the raves from five pm, organising the space, and working on everything from ten pm. He got home at six am and was woken up three or four hours later by the beeping of his alarm clock. The raves had to be organised, planned, the themes decided on, locations found, furniture transported, alcohol bought...

Jamie didn’t know how many more sleepless night he could take and the neon lights and loud music wasn’t helping. The lights hit his eyes over and over – purple and blue and red and pink and gold. It got to the point where he could barely see past the spots dancing in his vision...so it took him a while to notice it.

There was a lot of blue. And red. The two colours dominated, practically killing off the cheap neon lights. And then he heard it, over the music...

Siren wailing.

His head whipped round to look behind him and he cursed. Six cop cars were riding through the grass to park under the hill – right next to DeeDee’s van. As chaos overtook the party-goers, Jamie saw Fritz try to bolt from the van. He was tackled to the ground by two officers. Jamie whipped in the direction of Art, ‘’COPS!’’ he howled.

He took a second to see Art bolt into the trees and Gus run the other way. He glimpsed a black wolf disappearing in the same direction as Art as the crowd dispersed, no one eager to be arrested. Jamie snatched the last of the alcohol bottles and sprinted off into the darkness, letting himself be lost in the crowd.

Gus was stricken with panic upon seeing the cop cars and as soon as he heard Jamie’s yell, he jumped off the speakers, leaving them right there, and sprinted down the slope, into the darkness.

Had he gone into the forest with Jed and Art, he could have ran a wide circle around the whole area and come out in south end of the city before making his way back to Raphael’s safely.

Had he gone the same way as Jamie, he could have sprinted alongside him and dozens of others, lost in the crowd and then in the line of buildings.

But, as fate had it, Gus ran alone down the slope and slammed straight into two officers lurking in the dark.

*~*~*

‘’What do you mean no one wants to fight us?’’ Val snapped.

Tori, the owner of the fights, gave her a look. She sat up on a low brick wall marking the entrance to the abandoned train station, ‘’like I said,’’ eyes shifting between Val and Ellie, standing behind her, ‘’last week you annihilated everyone you went up against. No one’s willing to take the chance.’’

‘’Pussies,’’ Val snapped.

‘’Please,’’ Ellie said, much more diplomatic, ‘’we need the money.’’

Tori sighed and scanned her list of participants. The crowd roared, watching someone on the train tracks get a beating. Ellie and Val scarcely reacted, ‘’I just don’t have enough werewolf-human pairs,’’ Tori said apologetically.

Val looked at Tori pleadingly. She knew the young woman had a soft spot for her – Val was one of the best fighters around, ‘’c’mon, T, you’ve got to have something for us.’’

‘’Well,’’ Tori scratched her brown cheek, ‘’if you come early next time, I can put you back in your old category, Val. Ellie, you can get put in female werewolves. I’m sure then you’d have bigger chances of securing a fight.’’

Val nodded, grateful, ‘’what about today? Is there literally no one that we could go up against?’’

‘’Not from the girls,’’ Tori said pointedly, ‘’but if you’re brave enough to try and take on a male human-werewolf pair then...’’ she shrugged, ‘’it would make for a good show.’’

Val gave a grin, ‘’awesome. Who are we going agai-‘’

‘’RAID!’’

Tori jumped to her feet at the sound of the yell, picked up by all the goons hired to keep the fight in checks. Only a moment later the entrance flooded with cops in blue uniforms, ‘’shit!’’ Tori made a grab for all the money on her desk but she, Val and Ellie were unfortunately located by the entrance to the abandoned station.

In seconds, Val was pinned to the floor, her hands handcuffed behind her, ‘’stay still,’’ the cop above her barked as she struggled. She heard Ellie growling at her mate being manhandled but she was being wrestled into cuffs by two werewolf cops.

They were all basically fucked.

*~*~*

DeeDee was asleep on the jail-cell bench, as if she wasn’t in huge trouble. Fritz occupied the other bench; he lay on it, arms folded under his head as he stared at the ceiling. Clearly, he’d done it before. It was only Gus who was pacing the cell, so nervous he was trembling all over. They were at the police station. It was small enough that it only had two cells in a white room with a big window and a vacant desk in the corner. There hadn’t been anyone guarding the cell before but now, as the sun began rising on the horizon, a cop walked in. He approached the jail cell, consolidating his notes, ‘’Fritz Temple?’’

Fritz gave a short grunt.

‘’Dedrah Richie?’’

Fritz pointed at DeeDee, still fast asleep.

The cop sighed and looked back to his notes, ‘’you two are charged with growing and distribution of marihuana, as well as cocaine,’’ Fritz glanced away at that. He was starting to get a little nervous, too. He’d gotten taken in overnight for smoking weed before but cocaine...well, distribution was a whole different thing, especially if it was a class A drug. Fritz would have never risked it if the money hadn’t been needed that much, ‘’there will be a hearing at the end of the week after which you may be transported into the city prison to serve a sentence.’’

Fritz gritted his teeth but said nothing.

‘’Augustin Wick?’’ the cop said.

‘’T-that’s me,’’ Gus squeaked. He had done a lot of questionable shit since his parents kicked him out, but he’d always managed to avoid arrest. Besides, if this could in some way rub off on Alex and he lost his pass into the army...

‘’Organising a large commercial event on council land, without permission, fire hazard, disruption of residents with loud music, selling alcohol illegally...’’

‘’That wasn’t me,’’ Gus said, completely unconvincingly.

‘’Your hearing is being arranged,’’ the cop said, ‘’there are also charges being pressed.’’

Fritz looked sharply at the cop as Gus’ eyebrows shot up, ‘’o-over what, officer?’’

‘’Theft,’’ the officer said, scanning his file, ‘’by a Mr Todd Wick and Mrs Christina Wick.’’

Gus’ eyes widened, ‘’my parents!?’’ and then he remembered. He’d stolen from his trust fund.

And they must have found out.

‘’There will be a court hearing arranged shortly over that, too,’’ the cop said, ‘’for now, you will remain in arrest,’’ after that, he curtly left.

Gus sank onto the bench next to a sleeping DeeDee, ‘’oh my god...’’ he whispered, staring at his trembling hands. He was afraid. More afraid that he’d ever been. His parents could afford a good lawyer...

Suddenly, the doors burst open and two girls were dragged in by four cops. Gus jumped up, ‘’Val! Ellie!’’

‘’MOTHERFUCKER!’’ Val kicked one of the officers, who swore as he opened the second jail cell. They shoved the two in with some difficulty, closed the cell and, sweaty and dishevelled, left.

Gus ran to the wall separating them, made of the same metal bars that made both cells feel like cages, ‘’what happened?’’

‘’Got busted at the fights,’’ Val snapped, seething mad. She slapped Ellie’s hands away as she checked for injuries, ‘’I’m fine. Jesus.’’

Ellie sighed, more calm, ‘’there were many who were rounded up, but they got sent to a different jail. We didn’t know why,’’ she put her hands on her hips, ‘’looks like you three are occupying the cell.’’

‘’And for good reason, too,’’ Fritz sighed, deeply, ‘’we’re screwed.’’

‘’Pretty much,’’ Ellie agreed, too tired to pretend otherwise.

Val went to the bars and touched Gus’ elbow through them, ‘’you okay, Gus?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ Gus bit his lip, ‘’my parents found out about the trust fund.’’

Val closed her eyes briefly, as if pained.

The doors opened for the third time and Gus was beyond relieved when he saw Diego come in, ‘’Diego!’’ he ran to the front face of the cell, grabbing the bars. 

Diego looked troubled, ‘’what happened? How did you get caught?’’ he looked between the two cells.

‘’Long story,’’ Ellie sighed.

Diego shook his head, ‘’look, I’ll try to do all I can to get you out of here, but you can’t let anyone know that you know me. Or that Ellie’s my alpha. They’ll think I’m biased.’’

Gus felt on the verge of tears, ‘’you’ll have a lot of stuff to fix.’’

Diego gave him a reassuring smile, for which Gus was grateful, ‘’I’ll do all I can. For now, you have a visitor.’’

Gus hoped for the sun-bright smile of Alex but he was equally uplifted when his sister came in. Marianna rushed to the cell while Diego leaned on the wall, monitoring – or pretending to, ‘’oh, Gusie,’’ Marianna gushed, ‘’I’m sorry. I should have never agreed for you to take that money. I should have know they’d find out!’’

‘’We couldn’t have known it’d be this fast,’’ Gus said, trying to stay calm, ‘’are they very angry?’’

‘’Very...’’ Marianna sighed. She took a step towards the cell, like she wanted to touch Gus through the bars, even though she knew she couldn’t, ‘’I’m afraid this won’t be easy. But I’ll talk to them.’’

‘’It won’t achieve anything,’’ Gus said sadly.

‘’It will,’’ Marianna said, determined, ‘’you’re their son.’’

‘’Their gay son,’’ Gus agreed, ‘’that they don’t want.’’

‘’I’ll talk to them,’’ Marianna repeated, determined, ‘’they must see that pressing charges against you is insane. I’ll fix this, Gus. Just wait and see.’’

Gus could only give her a weak, unconvincing smile through the cell bars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi darlings! If you enjoy the stuff I write then you can check out loads or art & stories on my page. You can get the link to it on my facebook page below or I can send you the link!
> 
>  
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> The stories available there for only $1:
> 
> NEW STORIES!!!
> 
> \- Of Monsters and Parisians; omega Adrien, who doesn't fit into the feminine omega bracket in modern-day Paris, is transported to an ancient civilisation of the Kykvendi: vikings with the ability to transform into horrifying monsters. Adherbal is an outsider in the tribe. Despite being an alpha, his pretty monster-form makes him a laughing stock. He enjoys his solitude...until he lays his eyes on Adrien, screaming his head off upon coming across his fellow tribesmen.  
> Its quite a nice, light read with just a tad of angst. Omegaverse! 
> 
> \- All of Him: a heart-broken man who lost his Soulmate has just finished creating a machine that will send him across realms to a world where his lover lives. His machine is succesful but when he arrives in this new world, he realises that he has an enemy: himself. Because both versions of him wield the soulmate mark that will capture their beloved's heart. And pretty soon, its a race.  
> A bit of a dark fic, has a similar vibe to the TV show 'You' and hella plot twists.
> 
> \- Paradise Found: a story about Dien, the leader of a small, rag-tag group of zombie apocalypse survivors, who finally come across a sanctuary. However the leader of the sanctuary has demands if Dien's group is to stay - one of them being that Dien is to become his personal slave. Dien agrees, despite how much he loathes the idea. However soon enough a harrowing, long quest to safety forces the two to fight and survive alongside each other...and feelings begin to blossom.
> 
> NEWEST! - A Heart of Ice: an arranged marriage omegaverse mpreg story about the fire prince arriving in the ice kingdom to marry the ice prince. The fire prince is excited to meet the bride he'd been engaged to since he was fourteen; the ice prince, on the other hand, already hates the fire prince for the engagement that has dictated his life until now. 
> 
> Upcoming: an omegaverse story about an omega transfered to a different branch at work, where he meets his new boss. This man is an alpha, known for the conservative way in which he treats omegas and his hard character. And whoops, would you look at that! They're a fated pair! 
> 
> CHECK THEM ALL OUT HERE!:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/virusAJWilde/
> 
> If you don't have facebook, drop your email in the comments and I'll email you the link ^_^
> 
> All the love & thanks for your support :*


End file.
